East Sussex County Council’s (ESCC) draft Strategy East Sussex Libraries – The Way Forward is the final part of the Libraries Transformation Programme. It explains ESCC’s proposals for the Library and Information Service for East Sussex for the next five years.

The proposals within the draft Strategy have not yet been decided.  However, if approved, they will result in the disappearance of the mobile library service which currently visits Wivelsfield every three weeks*.

ESCC’s Cabinet has agreed to a 12 week consultation on the draft proposals, which runs from 21 September to 14 December 2017. ESCC would like to hear the views of residents, whether you currently use the Library and Information Service or not.  To find out more about the consultation, its background and the draft strategy, please visit:   https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/libraries/libraries-transformation-programme/draft-strategic-commissioning-strategy/

 

 

*In the past year 1,112 residents have used the Mobile Library. For the majority of the 88 mobile library stops, the number of customers that access the mobile service is extremely low. Of the 88 stops, 72 (82%) had on average fewer than 10 customers per visit in 2016. ESCC proposes to cease provision of the Mobile Library Service, offering instead the eLibrary and the network of 17 library buildings that support rural communities within reasonable journey times. They will provide additional support, including the Home Library Service, for those who are unable to travel to libraries or use the eLibrary.