New chapter in the life of town's libraries

Reduced opening hours at the area's three libraries come into effect from Monday, as part of a plan to save more than £1million around the county.
Bridlington North LibraryBridlington North Library
Bridlington North Library

Bridlington Central Library will be closed every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, and it will shut on Saturday afternoons. North Bridlington Library in Martongate won’t open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays.

Both libraries will open at 9.30am instead of 9am too, and will close earlier on some days.

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Flamborough Library will now only be open on Tuesday and Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, a total of 10-and-a-half hours per week.

Bridlington LibraryBridlington Library
Bridlington Library

The changes have been introduced because plans to close one of the Bridlington buildings prompted a public outcry during a consultation and forced East Riding of Yorkshire Council into a rethink.

Ian Rayner, interim head of culture and customer services, said: “In common with local authorities all over the country, East Riding of Yorkshire Council is facing prolonged and significant reductions in its funding from central government, and must therefore make savings in the services it provides.

“Indeed, the council as a whole has to save a further £60 million overall between now and 2020. The library service and customer service centres must play their part in that savings process.

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“Following responses we received after two rounds of public consultation on the future of our library service and our customer service centres, the council agreed last year to retain a library or customer service centre in every town and larger village in the East Riding operated by paid council staff, but with reduced opening hours, retain a mobile library service across the East Riding, but with a reduced level of service; and retain both libraries in Bridlington, but with reduced opening hours.

Bridlington LibraryBridlington Library
Bridlington Library

“These changes will save the council around £1.2 million from the combined library and customer service budgets, which will be achieved without closing a single library or customer service centre or ceasing to provide the mobile library service.

“We have always wanted to ensure that our libraries remain places that people want to visit, and these changes will help us to continue to run a modern and vibrant library service, maintain a mobile library service, staffed by professional library staff, and still run by the council.

“This is in direct contrast to many other local authorities across the country.”

The new opening times for the three branches will be:

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Bridlington Central Library: Monday: 9.30am-5pm, Wednesday: 9.30am-6pm, Thursday: 9.30am-3pm, Saturday: 9.30am-1pm

North Bridlington Library: Tuesday: 9.30am-5pm, Thursday: 9.30am-7pm, Friday: 9.30am-2pm, Saturday: 9.30am-1pm

Flamborough Library: Tuesday: 2pm-6.30pm, Friday: 2pm-5pm, Saturday: 9am-noon

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