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Enfield Council has confirmed that it’ll be shuttering nearly half of the borough’s libraries in a bid to save over £500,000 per year.
The closures follow a city-wide trend. According to creative project All the Libraries in London, which tracks openings and closures, 120 libraries have been axed in the capital in the last 10 years.
Seven libraries will close: Southgate Library, Winchmore Hill Library, , Bowes Library, Bullsmoor Library, Enfield Highway Library, Enfield Island Library, John Jackson Library, Southgate Library and Winchmore Hill Library. The sales of the sites could bring in up to £3.85 million in property sales, and save £4.5 million in maintenance costs over a 10-year period.
A campaign was mounted last summer to save the eight libraries which had been earmarked to shut. A public consultation was also launched, and the response from 2,400 residents influenced councillors to U-turn on their closure plans for Oakwood Library, which will remain open as one of Enfield’s remaining nine libraries. It was by far the most popular of the eight sites that were at risk, with 43,664 visitors in 2023/2024.
Declining usage and budget pressures were cited by the Labour-run council as the reasons for the closures.
Council leader Ergin Erbil said: ‘Libraries are the heart of our communities, and we want to make sure they continue to provide a fantastic range of services for our communities. While we have had to make some tough decisions to protect our financial future, I am confident this strategy strikes the right balance between good financial management and maintaining quality and wide-ranging library services for all.’
Council opposition leader Alessandro Georgiou told the Enfield Dispatch that he was ‘extremely disappointed to see the council has not listened and will still be closing vital libraries in some of the borough’s poorest communities.’
Local residents are also upset at the closures, despite plans to extend opening hours at the borough’s other sites. Time Out London’s Ed Cunningham, who lives in Enfield, said: ‘I grew up going to one of the libraries slated for closure – Winchmore Hill Library – and it’s a mighty shame the council has decided to shut it. My local area is already short on libraries, and with Southgate closing too, it’s a huge loss.’
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