Wirral Libraries Strategy Consultation

We asked

Wirral Council is developing a new strategy that will guide the library service from 2026 to 2031. We asked residents, library users, staff and partners for their views on the draft strategy.

Alongside the public consultation, a dedicated in-person engagement session was held with approximately 30 pupils from Years 7–9 at a Wirral secondary school on 8 June 2026. This method was chosen deliberately, in recognition that the standard survey format used for the public consultation is less likely to engage this age group in a meaningful way.

The feedback from this consultation along with that from the youth engagement session will help confirm whether the proposed direction reflects what matters most to local communities and where improvements may still be needed.

You said

A total of 190 responses were received.

Overall, 68% of respondents agreed, or strongly agreed that the strategy reflects the role libraries should play in the future, 11.0% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 21% neither agreed nor disagreed.

Some key themes amongst the feedback were:

  • Opening hours are the single biggest barrier to library use (52%).
  • Libraries are seen as important for community connection (97%)
  • Community led and partner activity in libraries is widely supported (93%)

Young people valued libraries as calm, inclusive, judgement-free spaces, and were clear that current provision does not consistently reflect their needs as teenagers / young adults, both in terms of stock and activity offer, and in terms of how spaces are laid out and designed.

We did

The feedback has been used to test, evidence and refine the strategy's objectives; how these finding have informed the strategy is set out in full at Appendix B (download from here).

The strategy was considered by the Tourism, Communities, Culture & Leisure Committee (external link) on 22 October 2026 and the decision was made to approve the recommendation to:

  1. Approve the Libraries for All: Wirral Libraries Strategy 2026-2031 for adoption
  2. Endorse the Performance Management Framework at Appendix B as the basis for monitoring and reporting delivery
  3. Note that an annual performance and delivery plan to give effect to the strategy's commitments for the Committee’s future consideration.

The strategy sets out the direction for the Council’s Library Service over the next five years, positioning libraries as welcoming, inclusive and trusted community spaces that support reading, learning, digital access, wellbeing, culture and access to information, while strengthening their role as a community front door to wider Council and partner services.