Campaign group protests Lambeth libraries funding cut

A demonstration has taken place in protest over cuts to library funding in Lambeth.

Lambeth Council is planning a £1m cut to its library services as part of its 2025/26 budget, equivalent to almost a quarter of its annual council funding.

The cut is included in the Labour council’s budget proposal, which features cuts totalling almost £46.3m as part of cost saving measures expected to be finalised today (6 March).

Campaign group Friends of Lambeth Libraries says that before the cut, the council’s budget for libraries had barely changed since 1984. It added the standstill funding already represented a loss of a third when adjusted for inflation.

The protest took place outside Lambeth Town Hall yesterday (5 March). While the council has said there are no plans to close libraries or reduce opening hours as part of the savings, Friends of Lambeth Libraries is looking for guarantees that the libraries’ programme of activities for all ages, IT support for vulnerable people and cultural events, as well as its help and guidance, will all continue.

“We already see the staff scrambling from branch to branch to fill gaps, working extra hours unpaid, stacking chairs and shifting boxes,” a statement from the group says.

“They work wonders with a shoestring budget, because they know the service matters.”