Major library shake-up: Drastic cuts to library hours across Birmingham with one site to close

Birmingham City Council has confirmed sweeping cuts to library services across the city – including the closure of a key library in Sutton Coldfield and a major reduction in opening hours elsewhere.

The council is cutting nearly a third of statutory library hours as part of what it calls a “transformation” of local services. But residents and campaigners aren’t buying it.

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Under the new model, eight community libraries will now operate on an alternating Saturday rota – meaning only half will open on any given weekend. And from the end of this month, Sutton Coldfield’s town centre library will close completely, with the council blaming the condition of the building.

Officials say the changes are part of a new “Connected Communities” approach that will merge library services with neighbourhood advice centres, creating ten combined hubs across Birmingham. They argue this will improve efficiency and keep services running despite budget pressures.

But critics say that’s spin – not strategy.

“This feels like managed decline, not transformation,” said one local campaigner. “They’re closing the doors on what little is left and calling it innovation.”

Many residents say the changes strip away vital community spaces. With some areas now relying on mobile library vans or digital portals, people fear a loss of access, especially for the elderly, young families, and those without reliable internet.

While the council promotes its new “hubs” as smarter service delivery, others see it as a quiet dismantling of trusted public resources.

Campaigners and opposition councillors have slammed the move, calling the council’s language “disingenuous” and warning that once physical libraries are gone, they rarely return.

“This is about more than books,” one resident told us. “Libraries are places where people gather, learn, and feel part of something. You don’t get that from an app or a helpdesk.”

Watch the video: Reporter Richard Gullick breaks down the changes and hears from those fighting to protect Birmingham’s libraries.