1,000 signatures reached
To: Essex County Council
Scrap Essex libraries' book reservation charge.
We the undersigned call on the newly elected administration for Essex County Council (post May 7th) to scrap the £1.15 charge for each and every book reserved with Essex Library Service. This could be the death sentence for many smaller libraries - which ECC already tried to close back in 2018-19 - as limited shelf space means users have to rely on ordering books from other libraries.
Why is this important?
The £1.15 charge soon adds up when a number of books are reserved. On the other hand, the £150,000 ECC says it will save with this charge, is paltry when compared to ECC's overall budget of over £2 billion (Campaigners say cuts are 'biggest attack' on Essex libraries - BBC News). And when cuts are made to libraries, it increases costs elsewhere, such as the social care budget. Our libraries are excellent value for money, and should not be squeezed further.
Two surveys have already found this charge will make a real difference to how people use libraries. Between three-quarters and ninety percent of those surveyed said they would either use their library less, or stop using their library altogether (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CspgVDTDV/). And we've seen this before, where a decline in use caused by cuts, is then used to justify closing libraries.
With 2026 declared the National Year of Reading in an attempt to reverse an alarming decline in reading, particularly reading for pleasure, now really isn't the time to place further barriers in the way of using libraries. And the principle of a public library is that it should be free. ECC has set our libraries up to fail, and this disastrous charge must be scrapped.
