LIBRARY visitors will get free WiFi and an improved connection thanks to a grant.

Brighton and Hove City Council has been given £33,750 to improve internet connection in the 14 buildings.

It is one of 68 local authorities across England to receive money from an Arts Council fund to use in 1,000 libraries to install WiFi for the first time or make its current connection faster.

At present all the city's libraries, except Mile Oak, have free WiFi access provided by The Cloud so people can connect using their own laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Computers are also free to use for the first hour and time slots can be booked.

Darren Henley, the agency's chief executive, said: “Arts Council England has worked hard with its partners from the Libraries Task Force to support local authorities to meet the tight deadline and submit applications. It’s brilliant that as a result, more than 98 per cent of public libraries in England will be providing access to free, good quality WiFi by March 2016. I’m so pleased that this important fund is enabling libraries across England to offer more vital services to their users and encourage more people to use and enjoy their local libraries.”

Culture minister Ed Vaizey said this was a "vital step" to ensuring all public libraries can provide WiFi access.

He said: "As more services become available online, this will increasingly make libraries the place to go for people who don’t have the access or the confidence to use digital services.

"Libraries are already supporting a wide range of online services, from applying for jobs to local information. This is a significant milestone in the on-going work of the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce to help libraries grow and modernise."

The city's libraries is one area where the council administration is hoping to make savings of £68 million by 2020.

Westdene and Hollingbury libraries will be "significantly reduced" as a proposal to merge them into a classroom and children’s centre respectively is designed to save £309,000.

A proposal to move Hove Library into a newly built expansion of Hove Museum in 2017/18 will save £330,000.

Expanding of the Libraries Extra scheme, which allows facilities to remain open for later but without staff, is hoped to save £375,000 by April 2017.

External consultants will be employed by the council to look into savings in the Jubilee Library PFI contract which currently costs £2.4 million a year in council and Government funding.