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Auckland City's mobile library service is under threat for the second time in four years.
The cost-cutting council of Mayor John Banks had a go at axing the service in 2003. Public pressure forced a backdown. Four years on, Mr Banks' council is again looking at the mobile library to save $650,000 over 10 years.
The library clocks up 1000km a month visiting rest homes and pensioner villages and making street stops. It issued 21,191 books in the past financial year.
Library group manager Allison Dobbie has proposed not replacing the 12-year-old mobile library as part of cutting $13.6 million from the $145 million library budget over the next decade.
Asked if that effectively meant the end of the service, she said that was possible "but we haven't done the detailed work yet".
Allison Dobbie has also taken a "risk" by assuming lower population growth of 37 per cent between now and 2019 to slash $9.9 million from the capital building and acquisition budgets. Other savings will come from extending the life of buildings, furniture and information technology ($2 million) and slowing digitisation of heritage collections ($1 million).
Managers are under pressure to find savings to meet political demands to hold rates to the level of inflation.
Faced with projections of double-digit rates increases inherited from the previous council, Mr Banks and Citizens & Ratepayers have taken to cutting and deferring spending across a range of services.
However, spending on consultants has soared from $56.7 million to a record $62.2 million this year.
Cuts to library services will also go some way to fund the 2011 Rugby World Cup. What began as a $20 million upgrade around Eden Park is now a $56 million package of events.
City Vision councillor Cathy Casey said axing the mobile library flew in the face of the council's commitment to older people to extend the accessibility and appeal of library services.
The proposed library cuts will be discussed at tomorrow's community services committee.
