Mobile library stops set to double

A mobile library van is set to double the number of stops it makes, following a grant from the government.

The van currently makes 21 stops every month but North Yorkshire Council plans to increase it to at least 40 in the region.

Money from the government's Libraries Improvement Fund will be used to replace the existing mobile library with a smaller and more versatile van.

Library staff hope this will allow them to expand the service into more rural communities.

Council library manager Lee Taylor said the service was "dedicated to enhancing access to library services" throughout the area.

"The project will increase the number of communities visited and provide more opportunities for residents to benefit from services," he said.

Existing stops were selected depending on ease of vehicle access and their distance from a static library, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The criteria will be amended to include sites with a population of no less than 300.

According to a report, there is an average of eight customers at the quietest stops and up to 48 at the busiest locations.

The council may introduce a one-hour minimum stop time going forward, with a maximum of two hours for current stops that have a high volume of visitors.

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