Public Libraries: Bournemouth East
House of Commons · Westminster Hall · 24 Jun 2026 · 11 speeches · Official Report
I will call Tom Hayes to move the motion; I will then call the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make a speech only with prior permission from the Member in charge of the debate and from the Minister. As is the convention for a 30-minute debate, there will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up.
I beg to move, That this House has considered the future of public libraries in Bournemouth East constituency. It is an honour to speak under your chairpersonship, Mr Turner. This debate is the third that I have called since my election. My first was on playgrounds all over our country; my second was on playgrounds all over my constituency. Sadly, today is not the third playgrounds debate, but just like “Back to the Future”, that trilogy will conclude. Playgrounds are a lot like libraries. They take us back to the future. They are two sides of the same coin of a healthy and happy childhood. In my constituency, many families visit Springbourne library and the play area beside it, bringing a packed lunch in the summer. That is so important for our families. Since 2008, playgrounds have been debated four times in Parliament. I have doubled the number of those debates. This is just the fifth Commons debate on libraries since 2008. When I banged the drum for playgrounds in this place, we began to make progress, with smoke-free playgrounds enshrined in law, protected playgrounds codified in planning policy and the first dedicated funds since 2008. In two years, this Labour Government have made better half the number of playgrounds made worse by Conservative Governments over 14 years. I know the positive steps that can arise when I bring my constituents’ hopes to Parliament, and I hope for the same for libraries. I wish to begin, here in Westminster, with Charminster. Charminster...
It is a joy to serve when you are chairing, Mr Turner. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) on securing this debate. He reminds us of his campaign for playgrounds, and I am sure that he will continue to be equally committed to the campaign that he is on with libraries. I am pleased to respond to the debate on behalf of the Minister responsible for libraries, my noble Friend Baroness Twycross.
My Newtownards library has been allocated funding by the relevant Minister. Understanding that a warm library is a place of knowledge, friendship and community, does the Minister also agree that the benefit to communities is more than the ability to borrow a book and is in fact the ability to connect, and that that needs to be supported by all of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
I absolutely agree. The hon. Member points out and underlines the richness, to which my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East drew attention, of the role that libraries play in their communities. My hon. Friend talked about libraries in his constituency, especially Charminster library. I want to take this opportunity to strongly agree with those of his constituents who have sung the praises of public libraries, the value of which he so ably demonstrated in his speech. It is rare to find someone who does not believe that libraries are important to their communities. It is more than 175 years since the first Public Libraries Act, in 1850, and it is fair to say that libraries look a bit different from those originally established, but I like to think that even where the technology and style of delivery have changed, an 1850s library user from “Back to the Future” would recognise the core of what libraries do-they would recognise the shelves full of books and the knowledgeable library staff. Public libraries open up opportunity by democratising access to information and knowledge. They level the playing field by providing spaces for study and reflection.
rose -
I remind Members that interventions must be short.
Thank you, Mr Turner. I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for his time. Just to add to his words on this issue, many local councils are doing the right thing. I had the great pleasure of attending the opening of the new Central library in Reading, in great contrast to the experience of my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) in his town.
My hon. Friend is right. A local library is a very special place. It is a place of potential in every sense of the word by introducing children to the world of reading, shaping young minds through Baby Rhyme Time and giving agency and choice to young readers-no book is the wrong book-but also by helping people of all ages to develop wider skills and, in particular, digital skills, supporting people to access the huge expanse of the digital world we now live in. Libraries provide inspiration, education and entertainment for many thousands of people every week. In particular, the act of reading expands our minds, opens up our thinking and makes us more tolerant. In a diverse country like the UK, every child should be able to see themselves represented in our literature and to read and learn about other children who are not like them.
My hon. Friend the Minister is being very generous with taking interventions. Does he agree that SNP-run Glasgow city council’s decision to cut school librarians was a mistake and has a detrimental impact on kids’ education?
Certainly. It is always a negative thing when libraries’ time is cut, as my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East demonstrated in his speech. It is important that we remember that the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a “comprehensive and efficient” library service. I can confirm that that is binding on all library authorities, including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council. Public libraries are funded through the local government finance settlement. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of its local communities and designing library services to meet those needs within its available resources. We recognise the financial pressures facing local authorities after 14 years of Conservative cuts. This Government are committed to restoring the stability of council funding, but there cannot be cuts of that scale over that period without a significant impact on services, including public library provision. The most recent local government finance settlement is our most significant step yet towards making English local government more sustainable. We are making good progress on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way that we fund local authorities. We are delivering fair funding, targeting money where it is needed most. We are delivering the first multi-year settlement in a decade, simplifying an unprecedented 38 revenue funding streams worth almost £57 billion over three years....