VentnorBlog felt last week that there was an uncertainty as to how many years into the future would the four libraries given 21 hours a week, would stay open.
We spoke to Gavin Foster, Head of Press, at the Isle of Wight council to try and tie it down to a simple Yes, the IWC would continue to fund them, or No, it was just for the next year.
But first, some background …
Background
Cllr George Brown said at Cabinet meeting that the proposal to keep the four libraries open 21 hours a week would follow the previous plan – pointing to this only happening for a year, as per the original proposal. VB called is as meaning a year.
After some delay, a press release came out from IWC in the afternoon of the following day that, to our mind, didn’t exactly clear up the situation.
In it phrases like, “and it is the council’s intention to see these libraries stay open, evolving into closer local library partnerships with their communities”, didn’t make it clear if there would be the same level of paid staff by IWC or if it would just be volunteers long-term.
Later on, “We must always be mindful of the extremely difficult financial circumstances in which we find ourselves but it is our absolute intention to continue council management of these libraries beyond the forthcoming financial year”, left the door open for the service to be scaled back beyond the year IWC had firmly committed to.
Update from the council
We read the above paragraph out to Gavin in the press office and asked, “Management doesn’t necessarily involve paying for staff does it?”
Gavin: “If council is managing it, they’re managing it with their staff. They wouldn’t be managing it in a voluntarily capacity would they?”
VB: “I don’t know. You’d be over-seeing the buildings, because they’re now being rented out for pepper-corn rents, so that’s sort of management – and there’s management of the volunteers – which is management as well.”
“The intention is …”
Gavin: “No. The intention is to run them as far as we can, given the financial uncertainty. [George Brown]’s quite right, in my view, wary about giving an absolute cast-iron guarantee – saying this is there forever – in the current financial situation. As you know, there are very few guarantees in the current climate.
“But what he is saying, is that we’re running these for a year – and after that, the absolute intention is to keep them going on a similar sort of management basis after that, thereafter.”
Projected savings …
We then asked about the projected costs/saving for the next year. Brief recap: George Brown said his new library proposals at Cabinet would mean £100,000 less savings in the first year (£500,000 saving reducing to £400,000).
The original projected saving for the following year across the Island’s library service was £833,000.
… unclear
Despite the announcement being made by Cllr George Brown last week, the IWC hasn’t been able to provide the figures showing the anticipated saving, on an ongoing basis – pointing to them not being certain what the cost of keeping the four libraries open for 21 hours a week might be.
Council funded beyond 2012?
In summary, VB asked, “If there aren’t volunteers to run the libraries, will the council pay for them to stay open beyond 2012?”
Gavin told VB, “He can’t give that absolute guarantee, as that’s a year down the line. However it is the absolute intention that it does.
“It’s not being duplicitous at all. There’s no hidden agenda here. George is merely outlining the financial realities that we face. The absolute intention is to carry on as per the arrangement this year.”
“But it would be foolish, I’m sure you’d agree, to make a commitment – however nice it would be to do so – beyond the current financial year.
“He’s being as forthright, as positive and as realistic as he can”
“I think he’s being as forthright, as positive and as realistic as he can.
“The last thing he wants to do is to say, ‘Come what may, we’re going to keep them open’, and then have to renege on that in a year’s time when the financial picture isn’t as we expect it to be.
Absolute intention
“All things beings as they are, [George] is saying that the absolute intention is for things to carry on as they are beyond this year as well.
