SURREY will still have 52 libraries after an overhaul and re-modelling of the service, the county council leader has promised. 

This will come as a welcome relief for many residents who feared their local library could close as part of the council’s reorganisation of the much-loved facilities. 

Surrey County Council has been consulting on and looking at a redesign of the library service across the county. 

Cllr Tim Oliver assured residents that some may be moved into other buildings – such as town halls or community buildings – but there will still be 52 libraries after the reorganisation. 

“There are no plans to close any of them,” he said. 

“If we move them, it will be to a very nearby location,” he added. 

More talks are set to go ahead with borough and district councils on how the library service is modernised. 

The plan includes putting libraries into three categories; Library Plus where more services are offered; Library; and Community-led Libraries which are smaller and run by local volunteers. 

There will also be a greater focus on these community-led libraries. 

Cllr Oliver said changes will not affect staffing numbers: “The more we can get libraries into community buildings the better. I would like to expand the number of volunteers to help support the team in delivering this service.”

Data gathered shows 320,000 registered members and 37.3 per cent of Surrey residents using the library in the last year. In 2017/18 around 5.15 million books were issued in Surrey. At the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, November 26, councillors welcomed the changes.

By Rebecca Curley, LDRS