Southwark Library Funding Drops 30% In 6 Years
Funding for Kingswood library has been slashed by nearly half.
Council funding for libraries has fallen by 30% in Southwark over the last six years.
In 2013/14, total spend across all library and heritage sites in the borough stood at £3,475,480.
However, in 2019/2020, it had fallen to £2,683,710.
The Student View, a media literacy charity, made the findings following a Freedom of Information request submitted to Southwark Council.
Funding for Kingswood library has been slashed by nearly half, from £23,885 to £12,618, while the Nunhead library budget has decreased by 65%, from £144,959 to £51,138 annually.
East Street Library funding has fallen by almost two thirds, from £90,927 to £31,704 annually.
Over the same time period, spending on literacy initiatives in the borough fell from £646,887 to £418,337 annually.