Funding success will improve three Derbyshire libraries, two in Erewash

Three Derbyshire libraries, two in Erewash, are to benefit from a £440,000 funding boost announced on 14th April 2026. 

Derbyshire County Council has welcomed the funding which will be spent on reinvigorating and enhancing its libraries in Alfreton, Ilkeston and Long Eaton.

The county council’s libraries service successfully bid for the money from Arts Council England’s “Libraries Improvement Fund”, which comes under the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund, as part of a competitive process.  The announcement was made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The money will be used to make the three libraries more engaging for children and families, creating spaces for communities to use the libraries in more flexible and adaptable ways, and generating increased income to ensure the long-term sustainability of the service.

The way it will be used aligns well with the current Derbyshire Library Strategy which aims to ensure a strong, modern and sustainable library service which is fit-for-the-future including exploring opportunities to re-locate or co-locate, making them as accessible, flexible and efficient as possible.

Alfreton, Ilkeston and Long Eaton libraries between them welcomed more than 146,000 visitors in 2024-25, and now the funding has been confirmed, the service will look at ways of using the money which will encourage or enable even more people to use the services on offer.

More details of the improvements and changes across the three libraries will be announced in the coming months.

Derbyshire County Council Leader Councillor Alan Graves said: “This is fantastic news for our library service, and we are grateful to Arts Council England for recognising our ambition to improve the services we provide and being confident in us to use the funding wisely and to best effect.

“We will be working carefully to ensure that the improvements to the libraries will make them even more welcoming to their communities, particularly children and families, and will future-proof them to provide long-term benefits for our residents.

“It’s incredibly exciting news and the team have worked hard to secure such a large amount of funding, and I am looking forward to watching the plans start to take shape now the money is confirmed.”

Liz Johnson, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England said: “Libraries are more than buildings with books in, libraries are about people, ideas and opportunity. The Libraries Improvement Fund helps libraries to flourish as safe, trusted spaces for their communities.

“We’re pleased to be supporting Derbyshire Libraries with £440,000 to refurbish three of their libraries, updating the spaces to engage more flexibly with their community now and into the future.”

Ilkeston and Long Eaton libraries are both listed buildings, with Ilkeston Library opening in 1904, and Long Eaton in 1906. Alfreton is a more modern building, which opened in 1975, so between them the libraries have been serving Derbyshire residents for a combined 293 years.

Details from Derbyshire County Council confirmed that any changes to the libraries would be undertaken in a careful, sensitive way to ensure that some of the access issues, and wear and tear over the years of service are addressed.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Arts Council England announcement is the £5.5 million fourth round of the Libraries Improvement Fund.

The Libraries Improvement Fund is delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The fund aims to increase the sustainability and potential for transformation of libraries by developing more flexible, commercial spaces, increase and improve digital access within communities
and connect libraries to their communities and increase library use.

More information can be found here.