Leicester Council Reverses Library Cuts, Invests in Community Centres

0:00It's March 6th in Lester. Let's get into the news. Lester City Council has dropped its plan to hand over 15 libraries and three community centers to outside groups. The move was meant to save 2.1 million pounds a year, but resident pushback led to a full rethink. Instead, new plans aimed for 500,000 pounds in savings for 2026-27, rising to 1.57 million pounds. In later years, this means fewer staff cuts than first proposed. Residents made their voices heard loud and clear, with over 6,000 responding online and another 1,000 showing up at 12 community. Meetings and 15 drop-ins across the city. The council is now pouring 2.5 million pounds into community centers like those in Bill Grave, Rushy Mead, and Thurmby Lodge. They'll add 1 million pounds for building upgrades on top of 1 million already budgeted and 473,000 pounds to extend. Staff hours at 6 libraries.

1:01Counselor Vi Demster will sign off on these changes this Wednesday, March 11th. Officials thanked everyone for taking part and promised more community input to keep services strong and boost income. The Daily News Now is grateful to our sponsor for today's episode. Headphones in a pillow. Once you try it, it just makes sense. S-O-L-I-S-O-L-Pillow.com.