# Fernvale District Council: Future of the Ashcombe and Brigg Street library branches

**Options paper for Cabinet, 14 January 2027**
**Author: Head of Libraries and Culture**

## 1. Purpose

This paper sets out three options for the Ashcombe and Brigg Street branch libraries, which are 1.4 miles apart, and recommends Option B. Option B would save the council £310,000 a year.

## 2. Background

Fernvale runs nine branch libraries. Ashcombe and Brigg Street are the two closest together. Both buildings need work: Brigg Street's roof and heating are near the end of their life (estimated £420,000 to replace within five years), and Ashcombe needs a refit to meet current accessibility standards.

Visits have fallen at both branches since 2019, but more steeply at Brigg Street:

| Branch | Visits 2019/20 | Visits 2025/26 | Change |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| Ashcombe | 96,000 | 81,500 | -15% |
| Brigg Street | 74,000 | 49,000 | -34% |

Brigg Street hosts two weekly groups that do not run anywhere else in the district: a job club and an English conversation group for new arrivals.

## 3. Options

**Option A: keep both branches, reduce opening hours.** Each branch opens four days a week instead of six. Saves £95,000 a year. No one-off costs. Does not address the Brigg Street building.

**Option B: merge into a refurbished Ashcombe branch (recommended).** Close Brigg Street, refit Ashcombe with extra study and group space, and move the job club and conversation group to Ashcombe. Brigg Street building to be declared surplus.

**Option C: close Brigg Street, no refit, add a mobile library stop.** Saves the most a year but leaves Ashcombe without the space to take on Brigg Street's groups, and the mobile library would visit Brigg Street once a week.

## 4. Costs and savings of Option B

Annual savings once Brigg Street closes:

| Saving | £ a year |
|---|---:|
| Staffing (from 11.2 to 7.6 posts across the merged branch) | 180,000 |
| Building running costs (energy, rates, cleaning, security) | 64,000 |
| IT and stock duplication | 16,000 |

One-off costs:

| Cost | £ |
|---|---:|
| Ashcombe refit | 140,000 |
| Moving and temporary storage | 40,000 |
| **Total one-off** | **180,000** |

Timing: the refit would run from April to September 2027, and Brigg Street would close when Ashcombe reopens in October 2027, six months into the 2027/28 financial year. Savings start from closure.

Any income from selling or leasing the Brigg Street building is not included above; no valuation has been done.

## 5. Consultation and engagement

A public consultation ran from 1 September to 13 October 2026 and received 1,140 responses. 58% of respondents opposed closing Brigg Street; the most common concerns were the walk to Ashcombe for older residents and the future of the job club. 71% of respondents who use both branches supported a refurbished Ashcombe.

Informal conversations with the two branch managers have been positive. Formal staff consultation has not started; it would begin in February 2027 if Cabinet chooses Option B.

## 6. Risks

- Older residents and those without a car may stop using the library service. Mitigation: a once-weekly home library service extension for Brigg Street postcodes (cost to be confirmed).
- Refit overrun would delay closure and therefore savings.
- Staffing reductions may need redundancies if vacancies and redeployment do not cover them.

## 7. Recommendation

That Cabinet approves Option B, the merger of Ashcombe and Brigg Street libraries into a refurbished Ashcombe branch, subject to formal staff consultation.