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Suffolk to centralise library management

08.07.11 | Lisa Campbell

Suffolk County Council has drawn up plans to put the financial management and staffing of its libraries under a central organisation in a bid to reduce costs and save any libraries from closure.

Ideas for how the "vision" would work will be presented at the council's cabinet meeting on 19th July.

Under the proposals, town or parish councils, community or staff groups would still run the libraries, but financial management and staffing would be handled by an outside body.

Suffolk County Council said the changes would mean savings of 30% on its libraries budget over three years.

Originally, 29 of Suffolk's libraries were under threat of closure, sparking wide-spread protests across the county.

Councillor Judy Terry, Suffolk County Council's portfolio holder for libraries, said: "Most important of all was not closing any of Suffolk's libraries. We feel the proposals being put forward strike the right balance between protecting much-loved council services whilst finding necessary and unavoidable financial savings."

However Jennie Pink, a campaigner for Saxmundham Library, told the BBC: "We can't see how we're going to get an acceptable service with 30% less funding.

"It's still not in the position where we're seeing the logic behind Suffolk County Council's thinking.

"I think in two to three years' time, we're going to look at losing many of these libraries, which is our main concern."

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