Libraries in Sheffield remain under threat pending the conclusion of the consultation period on 10th January. As currently planned, there will be 11 fully-supported core libraries, 5 supported community libraries, staffed by voluteers with some Council support, and the remaining 11 either running as independent libraries, or closing. A report in the Star last week identified that the Council may be able to fund running some of the independent libraries by helping with running costs such as electricity bills or possible links to the council computer systems.

At a packed public meeting to discuss the future of the threatened library in Broomhill, Cllr Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for communities, said: “We will look at how we can provide funding for the 11 independent libraries for 12 months.”