Leicester City Council has outlined plans to reduce services at its libraries and community centres in a bid to save £2.1 million.
The authority is proposing to transfer the management of 11 buildings to local community organisations as part of efforts to streamline operations.
Picture credit: Leicester City Council
According to the proposal, the council would retain 12 key sites, which would be developed into “multi-service centres,” as well as the city’s Central Library.
These changes have been suggested as the council grapples with its most challenging budget situation to date, needing to save £23 million to balance its finances.
While the council warned that some jobs may be at risk, it clarified that no specific number of redundancies had been proposed.
A public consultation on the proposed changes began on Wednesday and will run until 29 June.
Under the plans, community organisations could take over the running of several centres, including the Belgrave, Coleman, and Netherhall neighbourhood centres, along with the Braunstone Frith and Rushey Mead recreation centres.
Additional sites, such as the Tudor Centre in Mowmacre, the Eyres Monsell Community Centre, and libraries in Evington, Knighton, and Rushey Mead, could also be managed by external groups.
The St Matthew’s Centre may close, with its library relocated to a nearby venue, while the Fosse Neighbourhood Centre in Newfoundpool could be sold.
In an effort to improve service delivery, the council would invest £1 million in the 12 remaining buildings, five of which — including the Beaumont Leys Library Hub and Highfields Library Hub — could offer staffed services for up to 40 hours a week. These hubs would also provide additional self-access hours.
The remaining seven sites are proposed to operate for 30 hours per week, with self-access hours available at Hamilton Library Hub, New Parks Centre Hub, and Pork Pie Library Hub.
Vi Dempster, the council’s assistant mayor for libraries and community centres, emphasised that these services are highly valued by the community. However, she noted that ongoing government funding cuts had made it impossible to maintain the services in their current form.
“Sadly, after many years of Government cuts to our budgets we can no longer afford to run them in the same way, and so have looked for new ways to keep providing the services people most value, in a place close to where they live,” she said.
“That’s why we’re proposing to bring services together in new multi-service hubs, ensuring they continue to be accessible across the city, while making the savings we need by reducing the number of buildings we run.
“Making some buildings available for community groups to run is another way we can ensure that services continue to be delivered. We have seen how well this can work at New Parks Community Centre and the African Caribbean Centre.
“Supporting local groups to run libraries, is also a tried and tested option that is working well in the county and other places.
Dempster encouraged the public to participate in the consultation, assuring them that no final decisions had been made.
Consultation on the proposals will run from 2 April to 29 June. Questionnaires are available to complete on the council’s consultation at: https://consultations.leicester.gov.uk/communications/library-community-centre-proposals-2025/
