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Below is the verbatim transcript of George Brown’s presentation to Cabinet last night.
“People care about their local libraries”
The consultation period on libraries has now ended, a very gratifying total response. People care about their local libraries and that point has been made time and again, with very great strength
Perhaps, if I may, I would like to remind Cabinet, the consultation was about the model of future operation that was
- A) considered practical by professional libraries management, or be it rather further and faster, than the evolutionary model that they would have proposed in less financially stringent times. and
- B) introduce a significant contributory saving to the over all council requirements to take £25m out of revenue expenditure in the next two years.
Very many “Make no change” responses
Responses to that consultation have ranged from “Make no change to the present library service,” a sentiment expressed by many – very many – to positive encouragement for greater community involvement.
We have taken into account public suggestions by adding substantial equipment to the Community Library package and adding far more preferential terms for the acquisition of existing library buildings, than that was indicated in the original consultation model.
New proposals
Now Leader, I’d like to propose that we make further response to public consultation and of course, very importantly input from Ward councillors, in the budget recommendations that the Cabinet will be making to Full Council.
I’d like to propose that the hours of IWC operation provided to the libraries in Sandown, Ventnor, Freshwater and Cowes are extended from the consultation model.
21 hours for Sandown, Ventnor, Freshwater and Cowes
These would be a total of 21 hours, per site, per week in Sandown, Ventnor, Freshwater and Cowes, that is a three times increase in that was projected in the consultation model.
This should enable those core libraries to move more easily to the introduction of co-operative IWC and community library service.
East Cowes, Bembridge, Shanklin, Brighstone and Niton – 3 months
Also responding to consultation, I proposed that the hours of IWC operation provided to East Cowes, Bembridge, Shanklin, Brighstone and Niton are continued on a reduced basis for three months from April. This is intended to facilitate the transfer to community-led operation, which is currently under discussion in all these areas.
Niton – 10 hours, others 21 hours
East Cowes, Bembridge and Shanklin would operate for 21 hours, per site, per week, that is of course with an IWC operation, for that three month period with Brighstone and Niton operating for 10 hours per site, per week.
My proposal to Cabinet, expressed aurally at this stage, through lack of time since the consultation period will of course limit the feasible saving strategy, that council has before them in the cabinet papers.
Original savings figures have been reduced as the Cabinet papers show to £500,000 pounds in the present year to take account for equipment and other provision to which I have refereed already.
£100,000 costs
To extend hours as I now propose, saving would be reduced by a further £100,000, from the figure of £500,000 you have before you on page D34.
Ryde down to 42 hours
In order to provide additional hours of IWC operation, even within an additional cost of £100,000 it will be necessary to make some reallocation for the hours of the premises in Ryde referred to in the consultation document. The proposal is that Ryde will therefore open for 42 hours a week, rather than the 50 that were proposed.
“People resource on an entirely flexible basis”
These changes will also oblige the library service to use its people resource on an entirely flexible basis, deploying library staff to branch locations as required.
I should perhaps add that in that flexible operation, the core library in Newport will pay, play a very key role in managing that flexible deployment of staff to libraries throughout the Island. That is the reason why library operation in Newport will have some enhancement in order to give management the opportunity to run, in effect, a model of staff deployment from Newport.
Self service terminals
One final point, is that I propose that the libraries in East Cowes, Bembridge and Shanklin should be equipped from the outset with Self-service terminals. These will also assist those libraries in a hopefully successful transition to trained volunteer activity. This is the type of equipment which will be used in the other principle libraries supported by the IWC.
It is important that this equipment is installed, at a substantial cost of course, but it is equipment that enables the library to operate rather more efficiently in terms of dealing with the requirements of those who are borrowing from the library and returning books than the present rather labour-intensive model.
Detailed proposal to follow
That in summary is the proposal that I’d like to make to Cabinet. It isn’t comprehensive because the comprehensive proposal can only be expressed in the terms of the necessary, when I prepare with officers the detailed proposal which will come forth as a result of the consultation.
As these important changes, which are in response to consultation and to ward councillors proposals, are part and parcel of the budget recommendations from this Cabinet, I felt, Leader, that Cabinet would like to have those recommendations in front of your this evening.
Firm recommendations
They are firm recommendations from me they are not tentative, I don’t propose to go back on any of those very important enhancements which are proposed which are for the good of the library service which we all agree is of vital importance to the whole community of the Isle of Wight.
