The Wyre Forest Agenda: Libraries Responses

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http://www.wfa.org.uk/2012/03/02.asp or http://t.co/DAAkhyjE

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	Friday, 2 March 2012
	Libraries Responses
	by Stephen Brown

Please note that the Library submission I made on behalf of WFA is now published on the UK Parliament website:

'Library Closures, 'The Library Service in Wyre Forest', UK Parliament'

Question 1: What constitutes a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service for the 21st century?
Response: In this sense, the Library buildings should remain in public hands, publicly accountable and funded, along with the staff within and the key services provided. The Library and its library service should be the key focus of activity, with other services a supplement and not a replacement of that core activity.

Question 2: The extent to which planned library closures are compatible with the requirements of the Libraries & Museums Act 1964 and the Charteris Report [into the 2009 Wirral closures].
Response: Any proposals that could impact upon the long-term viability of Library provision, or any transfer of assets; should be subject to Secretary Of State approval. This could be accommodated in a simpler statutory referral system (under the control of the Secretary Of State or designate national body) for example that negates the need for local communities to take the local authority through the courts if local people are unhappy with council decisions/action on Library provision. In any case, safeguarding duties should be in place to ensure all councils work within a prescribed framework.

Question 3: The impact library closures have on local communities.
Response: In the event of a conflict between the community and council view as a result of any consultation process, the points made in summary of question 2 on a simpler, more cost-effective statutory referral system remains a key one, with the addition of an effective and robust consultation model – something which is sadly lacking in Wyre Forest, and we suspect, elsewhere in the country, which has lead to such legal challenges the Committee is only too well aware of.

Question 4: The effectiveness of the Secretary of State's powers of intervention under the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964.
Response: The best response to the scope of the inquiry in this respect is detailed in the summaries of question 2 and 3 above.

Sources:
Library Closures, 'The Library Service in Wyre Forest', UK Parliament
Brown, Stephen (2011); 'Libraries need our help'; The Wyre Forest Agenda, 11 December 2011

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Comments:

Tav
1 Mar 2012 I would just like to say well done and thank you to Stephen Brown in submitting written evidence to the Government on behalf of the 'Agenda. He also did this with great articulation and on time. Thanks Stephen.

Also a huge amount of appreciation and thanks goes to blurfers who have (and still do) contribute their opinions here on the 'Agenda.

Fran Oborski
2 Mar 2012 Nasty rumour that all local history bods at Kiddy' Library have taken / are taking voluntary redundancy.
Can anyone check this out?

Don Barton
10 Mar 2012 Could I add comments about the library service that is based at Stourport and have not been made so far. Indeed they may have been overlooked.

When the present County Buildings were opened in about 1974 it brought together two aspects of the service that were completely separate - indeed they were in three separate buildings. These were the Mobile Library for north Worcestershire (this stretches as far to the west as Bockleton and St. Michaels; to the south Knightwick, Button Oak, Arley and Shatterford and to the east Chaddesley Corbett, Elmbridge, Doverdale and Ombersley). It enabled the mobile library offices and store in Vale Road (now the Roman Catholic Church), the garage for the van at the old Stourport Urban District Council Depot and the old library in Vale Road all to be brought under one roof. The mobile library store could be much reduced and a new amalgamated reserve store for the county be provided as well as a proper staff room, an exhibition space and meeting room for cultural events.

Within the last two years the main library has been refurbished. To break all this up and move a small portion of it to the Civic Centre, or close it all down altogether would be a scandalous waste of money already spent. As a user of the mobile library service it will be a huge loss for those communities with no bus services and those who like me cannot always rely on being able to drive to the main urban centres such as Kidderminster or Worcester.

Fran Oborski
11 Mar 2012 The mobile library visits Offmore.

Stephen Brown
12 Mar 2012 Thanks Don for this - I will most certainly filter this through to the Council and Neil Anderson etc. Wasting money after refurbishment by closing is not necessarily something the council would consider a priority I bet.

Sadly too late to be considered for the Government Inquiry.

I am also concerned for the school library service out of Worcester but you are right, the plight of the mobile service does need championing.