Libraries Strategy 2024-28

Located within the heart of Cheshire East’s communities, our libraries are welcoming, accessible and social spaces that bring people together and provide a wealth of free resources and support.

The Libraries Strategy 2024-28 sets out how these spaces and the services we provide will continue to meet the needs of our local communities while remaining affordable in the context of the council’s current financial position.

Our vision is that they become the venue of choice for enabling and connecting residents to live better.

View the libraries strategy 2024-28 (PDF, 2MB)

Working in partnership

We have adopted a tiering system for how our libraries are promoted and invested into – mirroring how many other councils already operate their own sites – and deliver services through a ‘community managed’ approach.

This means we work in partnership with local councils, community groups and organisations, who help to maintain and enhance the services available. 

We have also built on our existing library services and customer service points, which offer help and advice on things such as Blue Badge applications, by joining them up with other council services that further support residents’ health and wellbeing. This is targeted at sites where need is greatest. 

This includes Family Hubs services and sessions led by the financial welfare team, who can assist residents with all Cheshire East paid benefits queries, including council tax benefit, and housing benefit.

Some of our sites also host third-party services, such as health and wellbeing services provided by Everybody Health and Leisure, community banking hubs and NHS support.

Transformation

As a council, we’re embarking on a significant transformation journey, and this will be delivered over the same time period as this libraries strategy and beyond.

Libraries – in terms of the services they offer and because of their central locations within our towns – will play a key part in how we deliver our transformation plan and how we promote and deliver the early intervention and prevention services that are so vital to our communities.

View the libraries strategy 2024-28 (PDF, 2MB)

Background to the strategy

Unprecedented financial pressures mean the limited resources we have must be focused on the places where demand and need is greatest. 

We want to continue developing our library services so they meet the needs of our communities far into the future. But we must also be realistic about how these services are delivered.

In July 2024, a draft version of the libraries strategy was presented to the council’s environment and communities committee and approved for public consultation, which took place over six weeks between August and September 2024.

View the results of the public consultation (PDF, 823KB).

Having listened to the feedback submitted through the public consultation – and through partnership working with town and parish councils and local community organisations – a number of positive updates were made to the strategy.

This included proposing smaller reductions in opening hours for some of the libraries, while in some cases, the opening hours were kept as they had been.

An updated version of the strategy was presented back to the environment and communities committee in November 2024 and approved by councillors.

The strategy went live on 1 January 2025.