DEVON County Council has today, Monday, December 1, launched a public consultation to help shape the future of the county’s 50 libraries, none of which will close under the proposals, but opening hours could be reduced and standardised.

Residents will be asked whether they support plans for ‘standardised’ staffed hours, as well as proposals to reduce opening hours.

Currently each library has its own individual opening hour, but under the proposals DCC are looking to group a number of libraries together within an area, and each area will have at least one larger library open Monday to Saturday.

The move comes as the authority launches a ‘major 12-week’ public consultation.

The library service budget has been reduced year on year.

And despite ‘savings having been made’, the current model is ‘no longer sustainable’, the council says.

Devon currently has 50 council-commissioned libraries, run by the charity Libraries Unlimited, alongside a Home Library Service and outreach programmes.

Together, they welcomed 2.6 million visits last year and hosted more than 14,000 events, ranging from children’s story sessions to digital skills workshops.

The consultation comes as the authority faces mounting financial pressures which means that the council must now look at how services are delivered.

But despite the financial woes, the council maintains that no libraries will close under the proposals.

And so, from today, Monday, December 1, people across Devon will be able to give their views on proposals to reduce and ‘standardise’ opening hours and options to extend opening hours through additional volunteering by using technology and the potential introduction of community managed libraries.

The consultation will also include a dedicated survey for children - there are currently more than 113,000 active registered library users in Devon and 28 per cent of those are children (under 16), the single largest group.

DCC is also seeking views on the use of volunteers and community managed libraries, where local organisations could take on day-to-day running with support from the authority and Libraries Unlimited.

This happens in Cornwall where four out of the county’s libraries are maintained by the council, with 27 run by local community groups, town and parish councils.

Other proposals include the use of new technology such as ‘Open Access’ systems which would allow registered users to enter libraries outside staffed times.

Alex Kittow, the Chief Executive of Libraries Unlimited, said: ‘Libraries are absolutely vital community spaces offering everything from books to blood pressure monitors, repair cafes to baby weighing, community fridges to low-cost cinema and much more besides.

‘Crucially, they are spaces to come and be and connect with others, where everyone is welcome and it doesn’t cost any money to join.

‘Our responsibility is to protect these spaces and ensure they continue to exist long into the future.

‘This consultation offers a way to do this, and we encourage everyone to have their say’.

The consultation runs until February 22, 2026.

Forms can be completed online on Devon County Council’s website, at local libraries, or returned by post.

There is also be simplified children’s survey available for younger library users.

All responses will be reviewed before revised proposals are presented to Cabinet in spring 2026.