DEVON County Council are proposing to stop delivering its mobile library service as it has become very expensive to run and the number of people using it has fallen considerably over the last few years.

Instead, the authority would like to promote and extend our existing library services – its Home Library Service, Good Neighbours service membership and its digital service – to make sure that people still receive a library service at home.

As a council it is facing huge financial challenges, and it will have to make approximately £47.5 million of savings this year.

At the same time, in response to rising demand, Devon County Council are significantly increasing spending to support vulnerable children, young people and adults. 

To ensure that its resources are being used as effectively as possible the council are reviewing every service and every area of our work.

And one of those areas is its mobile libraries – Devon County Council are proposing to end the service, delivered by Libraries Unlimited.

Currently the council have four mobile libraries, three of which are 15 years old and at the end of their serviceable lives, and the fourth is nine years old.

All of its ageing vehicles have become increasingly expensive to maintain; they are unreliable and have spent a combined 670 hours off the road in the last year, mostly because of mechanical issues.

They are also very expensive to replace – to replace all four with new vehicles would cost between £0.5m and £0.8m – and given Devon County Council's financial situation, this is not something the council can afford to do.

And as the costs of the service continue to rise, the use of the mobile service has fallen significantly.

Since 2013 the number of loans from the service has fallen by 68 per cent while the number of visits has fallen by 73 per cent.

The council are seeking the views of users on our proposals, and are asking for suggestions and ideas on how to deliver the service in a different way to ensure that everyone continues to have access to the library service.

Devon County Council would particularly like to hear from users who, because of health, mobility or caring responsibilities, may be unable to visit one of our libraries to help us better understand the barriers they face and how we can best help them.

The options being explored include the current Home Library Service, which delivers books to those who are unable to get to the library.

Dedicated volunteers choose and deliver books, including large print and audiobooks, free of charge and often have time to chat.

Devon County Council are looking at extending the Good Neighbours service; this scheme involves friends, neighbours and family choosing and delivering books to people unable to get to the library.

The authority also provide an extensive digital service, and wants to make better use of the thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, digital magazines and digital newspapers which are available.

A spokesman for Devon County Council said: 'Our financial situation has never been as difficult as it is now. Demand for our vital services is surging and costs are rapidly rising at a time when we have to find millions of pounds of savings from our budget.

'We are spending more than ever before on services to support vulnerable children and adults, but to do this we have to look for savings elsewhere.

'We know these proposals will impact those who use the service, and that is why we are asking service users to help us find ways to ensure that they can continue to have access to library services in the future.

'No decisions will be made until after the eight-week consultation.'