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FOCUS ON: Warwickshire
Warwickshire covers an area of roughly 760 square miles. It has no city but several large towns and many smaller villages. It is a relatively green county – 64% of the land area is classed as rural – with a strong agricultural heritage.
Warwickshire Economy
The population of around 571,000 is approximately 69 per cent urban and 31 per cent rural. Forecasts suggest significant population growth over the next 20 years, driven primarily by migration and an ageing population. At the last census non ‘White British’ groups made up around 12 per cent of the population. This figure is also forecast to grow.
The Victorian novelist George Eliot was born on a farm near Nuneaton, in the north of the county. Nuneaton Library holds Warwickshire’s George Eliot collection – a major national and international resource.
It’s a big county with services spread over a large area, often some distance apart. The characteristics of running a rural library service are very different to an urban setting, where services are confined to a smaller area.
Recent decades have seen a shift in the county’s economic profile. Whilst some traditional industries have disappeared, the motor industry is still a major employer. Warwickshire today is playing a leading role in the research and development of future road transport – including zero carbon and autonomous vehicles.
New technology companies such as the cluster of computer gaming businesses based in Leamington Spa are driving forward digital innovation. Meanwhile tourism is worth just over £1.1bn to the county economy every year.
Libraries and policy
Warwickshire County Council has a network of 19 public libraries and supports another 12 community-run social enterprise libraries by providing professional expertise and infrastructure. A decade ago, they were threatened with closure due to severe budget cuts. Local groups stepped forward to
Warwickshire is often referred to as ‘Shakespeare’s County’. The Bard was born in Stratford- upon-Avon and the town’s public library is housed in a historic building next to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
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