Meeting documents

The Committee will consider options for the future delivery of the Library Service.

Contributors:

Mr Martin Phillips, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health

Mr David Jones, Library Service Manager

The Chairman welcomed Mr Martin Phillips, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health, Mr David Jones, Library Services Manager and Ms Ruth Page, Project Manager to the meeting.  The Library Services Manager took Members through his report on the Strategic Options Appraisal (SOA) that had recently been undertaken to evaluate different options for the future of the Library Service.  During this presentation the following main points were noted: 

·         Libraries had saved £2million from its budget over the past 5-6 years, but needed to save a further £1million.  Alternative service delivery methods were being considered to retain the existing library network and range of services, and ensure future sustainability.

·         An Assessment Panel had been established and evaluation criteria agreed.  Following initial consultation with Stakeholders, including County Councillors, Library staff and Community Libraries, a number of options had been considered against the evaluation criteria.

·         Collaboration was dismissed as an option as none of the neighbouring local authorities were in a position to move quickly towards a merger. Although the 19 Community Libraries in Bucks had worked well, it was felt that this model could not be scaled up for the larger, busier libraries. Remodelling the service in-house would not produce sufficient savings and suggestions of outsourcing the service to the private sector raised concerns amongst stakeholders, who felt there could be a conflict between the needs of a commercial operation and the community run libraries.

·         The Assessment Panel agreed that the ‘Spin Out’ option was the best choice.  There were precedents for this in other areas and there were options in terms of which legal arrangement to choose, such as a public service mutual (as in Devon) or charitable trust (as in Peterborough or Luton). The service intended to develop a full business case to further explore options, understanding any implications and risks arising and including a robust public consultation exercise.  As part of the Budget process an investment pot had been agreed, in the form of a loan, for implementation costs.

The Chairman invited Member’s questions and comments.  The following main points were noted:

·         Libraries should act as community hubs, as they deliver a wider range of services than simply lending books.  It was envisaged that Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) would still be able to commission the ‘Spin-Out’ service to deliver the wider elements of the Library offering.  The Library Service had been in discussions with Marlow Town Council about developing a community hub around their library and in Chesham, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) were considering co-locating in the library. 

·         Concerns were raised about how easily charitable status could be achieved as the Charities Commission were looking closely at local authority ‘Spin Outs’.  Members also questioned whether the success of a new organisation might be undermined by the associated redundancy and pensions costs of staff who tuped over. 

·         It was noted that a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) option had not been considered viable, as Libraries were not a trading service.  A charitable model was the only way to deliver the scale of savings set out in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

·         In response to a comment about using library properties more commercially, Members were advised that income generation through property was currently being explored as part of the Cultural Quarter project.

·         The Committee’s concerns were acknowledged and Members assured that the business case would provide more financial details.  By learning lessons from BCC’s existing alternative delivery vehicles (ADV) and the experiences of other authorities, it was felt that Library staff and Community Library partners could embrace the opportunities afforded by the ‘Spin-Out’ option.

·         The Cabinet Member reminded Members that his portfolio had already successfully established the Museum Trust and merged the Trading Standards service with Surrey, and was confident that the ‘Spin-Out’ for the Libraries could be delivered without library closures.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member, Mr David Jones and Ms Ruth Page for attending the meeting and requested that the detailed business case and information on the plans for public consultation should be shared at a future meeting of the Select Committee.  It was agreed that the Committee and Governance Adviser would liaise with the Library Services Manager to facilitate this.

ACTION: Committee and Governance Adviser