We demand Birmingham City Council immediately reverse its plan to slash Saturday library openings across the city.

This is not efficiency — it’s sabotage. The new model will cut Saturday access in half, reducing the number of libraries open every Saturday from 28 to just 14. Only 10 "hub" libraries will open every Saturday.  8 others will only open every other week.  The other 9 libraries will be shut every Saturday. 

For many residents—including those who work or study during the week, families with young children, and school-age children—Saturday is the only chance to visit their local library.

These changes were never put to the public: Saturday closures were not clearly explained in the consultation. Now, decisions are being imposed without transparency, timelines, or democratic consent. Libraries are being dismantled quietly, while volunteers, Friends groups, and communities who have kept them going are ignored.

Let’s be clear:
👉 This is not about “staff shortages.”
👉 This is about political choices — and a failure of leadership.

Instead of fighting for national investment or engaging communities, the Council is hollowing out our public services, library by library. It is failing in its legal duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" library service.

Libraries are not optional. They are educational lifelines, warm hubs, cultural spaces, and safe havens for children and vulnerable residents. Slashing Saturday access is a direct blow to those who need them most.

We demand that Birmingham City Council:

✅ Restore full Saturday opening for every library

🔁 Reopen weekday closures and end “temporary” shutdowns

📅 Publish branch-by-branch timetables with full transparency

💰 Invest in our libraries – not undermine them

Birmingham’s communities are watching. We will not stand by while our libraries are dismantled. Save our Saturdays. Save our libraries. Save our city.

✍ Sign and share this petition. Make your voice heard.
📚 #BirminghamLovesLibraries