Winscombe Library will stay open: the parish council agreed on 26 October to run it from 1 April 2027, with a transition year in which little changes for users.

Winscombe Library will stay open. Winscombe and Sandford Parish Council has agreed in principle to take over the library from North Somerset Council on 1 April 2027.

Parish councillors made the decision at their meeting on Monday 26 October. Both councils announced it on 28 October (North Somerset Council; Winscombe and Sandford Parish Council).

Without a deal, the library was due to close at the end of March 2027. That was the fallback North Somerset Council set in February when it agreed £433,000 of library savings (North Somerset Council, 25 February).

What happens next

  • From now to March 2027: the two councils work out the detailed arrangements for the handover.
  • 1 April 2027: the parish council takes responsibility for the library.
  • April 2027 to March 2028: a transition year. The councils say the day-to-day service will continue “broadly as it does now”, so users should see little immediate change.

The parish council’s agenda for 26 October asked councillors to agree in principle to fund the running of the service, to take a lease on the library building and to sign a collaboration agreement with North Somerset Council. Neither council has yet published what the parish will pay or how the lease will work. Both say more detail will follow “over the coming months”.

At the parish council’s September meeting, councillors raised asbestos removal, roof warranties and the scope of planned roof work. They asked the clerk to finish a costed operating proposal and bring a final decision by 31 October (minutes, 28 September). That vote was unanimous.

What the parish is taking on

North Somerset Council’s consultation pack on the library, from July 2025, sets out the service in figures:

  • 10,426 visits in 2024-25, ninth of the council’s 11 libraries
  • 17,081 items lent or renewed that year
  • 1,700 registered users at 1 June 2025
  • 12 regular volunteers, plus two members of staff working part time
  • £27,802 in direct running costs for 2025/26, after £2,293 of income
Bar chart of Winscombe Library's direct running costs to North Somerset Council in 2025/26: staffing £17,226, property and accommodation £11,648, supplies and services £1,220. Income of £2,293 brings the total to £27,802.
Winscombe Library's direct running costs, 2025/26. Source: North Somerset Council consultation pack, July 2025. Chart by The North Somerset Post.
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The building is cheap to hold. The library has stood on the Woodborough Road site since the 1960s. It is leased from the Co-operative on a 999-year full repairing lease at £10.50 a year, according to the pack. A full repairing lease puts the cost of repairs on the tenant, which is why the roof and asbestos came up in September.

The pack also shows how much the staff matter. Of the 10,426 visits, 85.6% came during staffed hours. Saturday was the busiest day for its hours, at 16 visits for every staffed hour.

What the councils said

Cllr Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s cabinet member for libraries, called it “fantastic news for Winscombe”.

Cllr Lynne Stephens, chair of the parish council, said: “Our priority during the transition year will be continuity for library users while we work with staff, volunteers, community groups and North Somerset Council to develop a sustainable community-based service for the future.”

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. The library at 23 Woodborough Road keeps its current hours (North Somerset Council):
  • staffed on Tuesday and Thursday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 5pm
  • staffed on Saturday, 9.30am to 1pm
  • open to extended access members from 8am to 8pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and outside staffed hours on other days
  • Extended access needs a library card, a PIN and a short safety briefing. Ask staff or call 01934 426 050.
  • Parish council tax may be affected. Neither council has said how the library will be paid for. The parish sets its 2027/28 precept over the winter, so watch its budget papers. Our North Somerset council tax bands page shows what each band pays now.

We covered the wider library hours changes across North Somerset in September.

Sources