MORE than 25 per cent of libraries in Hampshire have closed their doors in the past eight years, new data shows.

The information, from the BBC’s shared data unit, shows that there were a total of 53 operating libraries across the county in 2019, with five community-run libraries and 48 council-run libraries.

However, that number has dropped to a total of 40 libraries across Hampshire in 2023, all of which are run by Hampshire County Council, with no community-run libraries still open.

The data showed that 11 of the closed libraries have stopped being statutory libraries, having moved to community organisations, with three libraries having closed their doors permanently.

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The figures also showed that 37 of the remaining 40 libraries were operating with reduced hours in 2023 compared to 2016.

This data comes as the county council announces that it's anticipated budget shortfall has risen to £175m.

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “In July 2020 Hampshire County Council approved a plan, following an extensive public consultation, to create a more efficient, and affordable library service. This was due to the need to make savings following reductions in national Government funding.

“As a result, eight public libraries were closed, and funding was withdrawn from four community-run libraries. Eleven of these sites were subsequently supported by the county council to transition to independent community facilities run by local volunteers.

“We continue to operate a sizeable service consisting of 40 public library branches which are available for residents to visit, and we also provide a growing digital library service, which is increasingly popular.”

The spokesperson also confirmed a number of staff losses at Hampshire libraries, saying: “As a result of savings proposals agreed in 2021 and 2023, approximately 58 full-time equivalent posts have been removed. These staffing changes have been mostly managed through natural turnover and the end of temporary contracts.”

The fall in the number of libraries across the county matches a trend of closures all over the country, with more than 180 council-run facilities having either been closed or handed over to volunteer groups over the past eight years across the UK, and more than 2,000 jobs being lost.

Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen, who has written more than 200 books including We're Going on a Bear Hunt and is a lifelong libraries’ advocate, has described the cuts as a “decimation of our cultural entitlement.”

He continued: “Every time I hear of a library being closed I find it absolutely horrifying… this seems to be like a decimation of our cultural entitlement.

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“There are many children who come from families where they either don’t think to buy books or can’t afford to buy books… we’re taking away free books. At the very moment, we’re saying we want everybody to read – so it seems both absurd and horrifying.

“These are very, very important spaces, we should be treasuring them. We should feel, isn’t it wonderful that we have these? We must fight to save them and find different and new ways to make them popular.”

Louis Coiffait-Gunn, chief executive of the library and information association CILIP, also expressed his dismay with the data, saying: “I think it’s a real shame - it tallies with what we’re seeing out there in terms of public libraries. There’s a range of reasons for that - so our biggest one is probably public funding has fallen, we’ve also had short-term funding settlements for local government, we’ve had the pandemic, we’ve got the cost of living crisis, so it’s not a surprise - and it’s a real worry.”