Michael Rosen: Library closures a decimation

Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen has called the closure of libraries “a decimation”.

The poet, who grew up in Harrow, north-west London, said his access to libraries had influenced his writing career.

“Every time I hear of a library being closed I find it absolutely horrifying,” he said.

In London, 99 council-run libraries have reduced their opening hours since 2016 and more than 400 library staff jobs have been lost, according to an investigation by the BBC’s Shared Data Unit.

The investigation revealed councils had stopped running hundreds of libraries in the UK – with most closed and some handed over to volunteers.

A further 900 libraries have had their hours reduced in the past seven years.

The poorest parts of the country were about four times more likely to have lost a local facility than the richest.

London saw its number of council-run libraries drop from 325 in 2016 to 322 in 2023.

One library in the capital that understands council cuts is North Harrow Community Library.

Until 2015 it was part of the Harrow Library Services, run by Harrow Council, but cuts saw the closure of four libraries across the borough.

When it became clear that the library would be closed, community volunteers turned the unused space into the community library seen today.

It is now run exclusively by 85 volunteers.

“The reason for the closure was funding,” said Kamal Shah, volunteer chair of the community library.

“At the time there was no idea of running it. The idea was making a protest and whoever shouts the loudest will get saved.

“Unfortunately that didn’t work, so the next step was ‘we’ll run it ourselves without knowing how to run a library or anything’.

“I wanted to save it because North Harrow doesn’t have anything else, apart from the shops.

“All the banks are gone, all the supermarkets are gone, the only thing here was the library and the post office.”

Libraries like the community-run one in Harrow are increasingly diversifying, offering more than just books.

“I’m a cancer survivor so I have to be quite careful about how I do exercise, so for me the chair yoga is absolutely brilliant,” said one attendee of the weekly sessions run by the library.

Another visitor told the BBC: “I’m retired now and I’m a carer for my mother-in-law who’s at 87, so it’s really crucial for my mental wellbeing.”

Mr Rosen added: “Every time I hear of a library being closed I find it absolutely horrifying, this seems to be a decimation of our cultural entitlement.

“I just feel so sad. A mixture of sad and angry, I’m ‘sangry’. That’s what I am.

“I’m sad and angry about this. That this wonderful facility that we’ve had and perhaps taken for granted has been eroded bit by bit, taking it away from us.”

A government spokesperson said public libraries played an “important role” in communities by providing access to books, work and learning.

“We recognise the pressures they face, and are committed to giving stability back to local councils, so services such as these can best meet the needs of their communities,” they added.