Lostock Hall library Pic: Google

Lostock Hall library will close its door at the end of November.

Lancashire County Council has announced plans to close the site of Lostock Hall library and children’s centre at the end of November as part of plans to reduce the number of buildings it operates.

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The library will close on Wednesday, November 30 at 12.30pm. The children’s centre will close on the same day at 5pm.

This comes as part of plans announced in May as the county council scales aims to save £200m by 2020.

Leader of the county council County councillor Jenny Mein said when plans were announced: “The severity of the county council’s financial position cannot be overstated, and the ongoing cuts in central government funding combined with rising demand for our services mean the only way we can maintain the services that people rely on is to deliver them in a different way.

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“I’m acutely aware that people have a very strong connection to their local services, particularly places like libraries which are often seen as a valuable part of the community.

“These proposals are very difficult ones for councillors to have to consider, but our aim is to come up with a solution that still gives everyone in Lancashire good access to good services, even though some will have to be further away than they are now.

“The fact we’re considering as many as 238 buildings in this process reflects the way services have developed over several decades when the council had more money to spend. We really need to think about where services are most needed and how we can reduce the costs that come with running so many premises. Our reduced need for buildings also reflects that we’ve already had to significantly reduce the budget for many services.

“The Cabinet report reflects a lot of hard work to assess where services should be located, taking account of things such as geographic spread, the needs of different communities, and access issues such as public transport and car parking.

“Following the Cabinet meeting we intend to put these plans out to consultation and we’ll be very keen for people to express their views and help shape the final proposals.”

The nearest libraries will be:

• Kingsfold library
• Leyland library
• Preston Harris library

The nearest children’s centres will be:

• Stoneygate children’s centre, Preston
• Wade Hall children’s centre, Leyland