Agenda item - Sustainability plan for Libraries

Report to follow

28.1 The report was presented to the committee by Cllr Alan Robins, Cabinet Member for Sport, Recreation, & Libraries. He was joined by Anna Gianfrancesco, Director of Commissioning & Communities, and Ceris Howard, Head of Libraries Services. The main points of the presentation included: the proposals consulted on, the process followed, consultation data & key themes, and ideas & alternative options.

28.2 Members asked questions around the following areas:

•         the costs of Rottingdean Library as BHCC owns the freehold

•         the need for further consultation should proposals change

•         a request for the breakdown of footfall figures & demographics

•         whether footfall figures captured repeat visitors

•         the need for community spaces

•         the impact of the opening hours reduction at Jubilee Library on the Library Extra service

•         the low response to the consultation from young people

•         Implications of the coming end of the Jubilee Library PFI deal

•         the need to consider time spent in the libraries not just footfall

•         the suggested amendment to the council’s budget in February 2025 which would have reduced the proposed cuts

•         the need to work with CVS

•         whether officers had actually walked the distance between libraries that are being suggested as alternatives

•         libraries as a warm space for people struggling with fuel bills

•         the use of community events and groups in libraries to combat loneliness

•         the impact on older people of library closures

•         the higher percentage of older people in Rottingdean

•         the impact on suggested alternative libraries

•         the reduction in local government budgets over the last 15 years and increasing pressure on remaining budgets from adult social care and children’s services

•         whether profit from things like sports facilities could be used to fund libraries

•         mitigations to stop people from feeling or being deprived if their local libraries close

•         if closures will impact other services

•         whether the issue should go to full Council after cabinet

•         whether any libraries that are closed could be mothballed until the completion of the Library Strategy refresh

•         the cost of the consultation

•         the correlation between footfall and number of events hosted at each library

•         the need to protect vulnerable people

•         libraries being a safe space for refugees

•         the tension between aims to be more inclusive and cutting the services

•         the impact of library closures on young people and the need for specific mitigations for them

•         staff redundancies.

28.3 Issues that were strongly raised by several members were: the desire to have been able to see the EIA to better understand the impact the closures would have on vulnerable people, and the timing of the proposals, impacting only a short time before a new libraries strategy.

28.4 Cllr Mcleay raised the social benefits of investment in libraries, citing research commissioned by Libraries Connected East which found that a typical public library generates approximately £1m of social benefits per year. Using Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) spending data for the year 2021/22, illustrated a return on investment of at least six times cost. Cllr Mcleay listed several initiatives connected to libraries across the country and the social benefit that they provided as examples. Cllr Mcleay recommended that the Equalities Impact Assessment (EIAs) for December cabinet analyses the economic value as well as social benefits generated by public libraries. Spend to save - the prevention schemes that will be impacted - impact on other services.

28.5 Cllr Shanks proposed an additional recommendation be added to recommend to Cabinet that they do not proceed with the proposed libraries closure. This was seconded by Cllr Lyons. Members voted unanimously to agree this additional recommendation.

28.6 Cllr Parrott proposed an additional recommendation that the committee recommend that, if Cabinet chooses to proceed with library closures, the library buildings are mothballed until the refreshed Libraries Strategy determines the future use of city libraries. This was seconded by Cllr Sheard. Members voted unanimously to agree this additional recommendation.

28.7 RESOLVED:

That People Overview & Scrutiny Committee:

 agrees to note the public consultation and stakeholder engagement that have been carried out, as well as the data gathered, in Summary of Consultation Responses report, Appendix 3.

agrees to note the steps currently underway to analyse the consultation responses data and to take it into account when developing final proposals, including but not only the steps underway to further develop of the Needs & Use Analysis and to assess the equalities implications of the proposals.

agrees to note the opportunity this Report affords it to provide input on the proposals which were consulted upon, by making comment which will be taken into account in the development of the recommendations to be put to Cabinet.

recommends that Cabinet do not proceed with the libraries closure plan at this time.

recommends that if Cabinet chooses to proceed with library closures, the library buildings are mothballed until the refreshed Libraries Strategy determines the future use of city libraries.