20260127 Hackney Libraries consultation on opening hours
The current consultation
Hackney is currently carrying out a consultation on reducing library open hours. The consultation will close on the 27th of January 2026.
Having already carried out some consultation and given the matter very careful consideration, Hackney has decided to reduce opening hours. A paragraph in one of the consultation documents reads:
Doing nothing and keeping hours as they are is not an option presented for consultation because we have to make the savings.
The implications for Woodberry Down
The WoodberryDown Library inside the Redmond Centre is one of eight libraries in Hackney. It is staffed partly by volunteers and is open on three days a week. There is no suggestion that its opening hours will be changed.
Once the development of Phase IV is complete (this is the area currently undergoing demolition) there will be a town square with a large indoor space set aside for community use. It had been hoped that this might become a library. It has been made clear at the Woodberry Down Partnership Board that this is no longer a possibility.
The WoodberryDown Library inside the Redmond Centre is one of eight libraries in Hackney. It is staffed partly by volunteers and is open on three days a week. There is no suggestion that its opening hours will be changed.
Once the development of Phase IV is complete (this is the area currently undergoing demolition) there will be a town square with a large indoor space set aside for community use. It had been hoped that this might become a library. It has been made clear at the Woodberry Down Partnership Board that this is no longer a possibility.
What you are being invited to do
Hackney is asking you to choose which of the three options for reducing the hours you prefer:
Option one: full and half-day closures.
Option two, go on. Weekend closures with some evenings.
Option three: Evening and specific closures.
If you wish to respond, you must do so by the 27th of January 2026. There are three different ways in which you might respond.
Online at bit.ly/libraries_consultation
By collecting a physical response form from a library, completing it, and returning it to Hackney.
By sending an email to consultation@hackney.gov.uk
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