26th Jun 2020 Essex County Council (ECC) has today published the final plans for the re-opening of Essex Libraries, following review by the council’s Place Services and Economic Growth Policy and Scrutiny Committee yesterday (25 June).
Essex Libraries have been temporarily closed over the past few months in line with Government guidance around COVID-19.
The plans for a phased re-opening of sites will see an initial group of libraries* re-open from 6 July. These sites also provide Registration Services and therefore also allow this important service to be more easily delivered too.
It has also been possible to bring forward the second phase of re-opening and an additional 44 libraries* which had previously been scheduled to re-open on 20 July will now be open from 13 July.
Plans for the remaining 14 libraries* will be regularly reviewed to assess how it might be possible to re-open them in line with current Government guidance around social distancing.
The plans are available on the Essex County Council website and remain subject to call-in until Wednesday 1 July.
• The initial 16 libraries that will open from 6 July are: Basildon, Billericay, Braintree, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester, Dunmow, Epping, Harlow, Harwich, Maldon, Rayleigh, Rochford, South Benfleet and Witham.
• The additional 44 libraries that will open from 13 July 2020 are: Brightlingsea, Broomfield, Buckhurst Hill, Burnham-on-Crouch, Canvey Island, Chigwell, Chipping Ongar, Coggeshall, Danbury, Earls Colne, Frinton, Galleywood, Great Baddow, Great Parndon, Great Tarpots, Greenstead, Hadleigh, Halstead, Hatfield Peverel, Hockley, Hullbridge, Ingatestone, Laindon, Loughton, Manningtree, North Melbourne, North Weald, Old Harlow, Pitsea, Prettygate, Saffron Walden, Shenfield, Sible Hedingham, South Woodham Ferrers, Springfield, Stansted, Tiptree, Tye Green, Waltham Abbey, Walton, West Mersea, Wickford, Wivenhoe and Writtle
• The remaining 14 libraries that will be kept under review are: Great Wakering, Debden, Kelvedon, Holland, Silver End, Fryerns, Southminster, Mark Hall, Stock, Stanway, Thaxted, Vange, West Clacton, Wickham Bishops.