Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and congratulated Councillor James Stanley on his appointment as Vice Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board and Councillor Emma Marshall on her appointment as Vice Chairman of this Panel.

Apologies for absence were received from Panel Member Councillor Craig Warhurst and Councillor Adam Kent, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Corporate Services and Communication.

Councillor Emma Marshall declared an interest in respect of Item 5 (Update on the Proposal to Relocate Redditch Library). Councillor Marshall advised that she was a member of Redditch Borough Council and that the library was located within her division. She was attending the meeting today in her capacity as a Worcestershire County Councillor and was therefore considering the Worcestershire wide perspective.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case day Wednesday 7 June 2023).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

There were 2 public participants, David Munro and Oliver Hale who asked questions in relation to Agenda Item 5 - Update on the proposal to relocate Redditch library.

The Chairman thanked the speakers for their questions and confirmed that they would each receive a written response.

The Chairman also reported that there had been 3 other members of the public who had submitted comments on this same issue. Whilst they were not able to attend the meeting to address the Panel, the Chairman had circulated their comments to Panel members so that they were aware of the issues they raised.

Previously circulated

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 28 March 2023 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Panel received an update report on developments relating to progress on the proposed relocation of Redditch Library since the Cabinet report in October 2022, it also included reference to what information was still required before Cabinet could make an informed decision at its meeting in July 2023.

The Chairman advised that the Cabinet Member and Directors would be invited to provide initial introductory comments, following which Panel members would be given the opportunity to ask questions and make comments in respect of the 4 different areas of the report as follows:

·         The public consultation process

·         Commercial Arrangements

·         Operational Services

·         Collaborative Opportunities

General

The CMR advised that Worcestershire County Council (the Council) had a statutory responsibility for providing a library service and this was its main priority in these deliberations. The CMR and Cabinet colleagues would need to be satisfied that the finances of the proposed relocation made sense for the Council.

The CMR stressed that neither he nor his Cabinet colleagues had any pre-determined views on this matter and that he was in ‘listening’ mode. Due regard would be given to all of the individual consultation responses received as well as the views of this Panel and the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board on 26 June. The decision would be made at the Cabinet meeting in July which allowed plenty of time for all the above to be given careful consideration.

The Assistant Director for Communities provided an overview of the highlights of the report. There were 3 key areas of focus: commercial, operational and collaborative arrangements. Work was ongoing to ensure that the requirements in place to protect the Council’s interests were fulfilled by the proposed arrangements.

The Panel was provided with details of the outcome of the public consultation launched in November 2022 until February 2023. The consultation had been widely advertised by a range of means including the website, social media, libraries and at bus stops. A total of 1467 responses had been received which represented 2.2% of the Redditch population aged over 19. Overall, 72.3% of respondents had disagreed to some extent with the proposed new location for the library. The Assistant Director highlighted the 3 most common themes in the responses received indicating that the second and third themes were key requirements for the Council:

1.    That the proposed location was not as good

2.    Concerns that there would be a reduction in the facilities offered by the new location

3.    Concerns that the relocation would result in a reduction in the size of the new library

The Panel was informed that Redditch Borough Council (RBC) was seeking to mitigate some of the concerns raised by improving the shop mobility offer including access to mobility vehicles, blue badge car parking spaces and improved lighting on the walkways. In terms of the archives there was still work to be done and specific details of the space to be available at the new site were awaited from RBC.

The Panel was informed that in recent days,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 414.

The Panel received a report which provided an update on developments relating to Libraries Unlocked (LU). The Head of Libraries, Archives and Archaeology (LAA) set out the background to the initial implementation of the open library service delivery model in June 2022 and the feedback received regarding the experience of the ‘early adopters’ Droitwich and Stourport libraries. Both libraries had seen their opening hours increased by 85% and a significant reduction in core staffing hours. There had a been a strong take-up for LU membership from their active library members and their visits during LU opening hours had represented 8% of the total visits and 11% of library issues for the two 2 libraries.

The Head of LAA reported that the two libraries had received a positive response from community partners who had been encouraged to use the libraries in LU times by the offer of free room hire. A survey of LU customers had identified a few areas for improvement which the service had since responded to. The Panel was informed of the libraries that were included in Phase 2 of LU and the criteria which guided that selection. The Panel was informed that the capital investment required for this phase was an estimated £423k, with £220k efficiencies to be delivered.

Members were invited to ask questions and the following points were raised:

·       In terms of numbers of library users, compared to pre-covid, the Panel was advised that numbers had been monitored since the pandemic low and there had been a marginal increase in recovery rates since LU was introduced.

·       It was confirmed that where libraries were located within listed buildings, this would be taken into account in the feasibility work carried out by the team assessing the location for the introduction of LU.

·       With regard to public consultation, the Assistant Director for Communities explained that there hadn’t been the need for formal public consultation for LU, as the concept and delivery of offering a different way of delivering library services had been previously included in the approval of the library strategy. With every library change, however, there was engagement work taking place to support the transition process with customers and the community focussing on the use of facilities and wider use by local groups.

·       As the roll-out of LU took place, local Members would be kept informed of the plans for libraries in their area and the engagement process taking place with the local community. 

·       In terms of implementation of Phase 2 LU, the Head of LAA advised that Stage 1 was expected to go live in Autumn 2023 and Stage 2 approximately 3 to 6 months later.

·       The Panel was advised that as part of the libraries role, there was always an element of dealing with occasional disruptive incidents within libraries. With there being no staff on site with LU, relations with local police Community Support Officers had been strengthened to mitigate any concerns that users had.

·       The LU proposals would see staffing numbers reduced in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 415.

The Panel reviewed it Work Programme and it was agreed that ‘Farming and Rural Estates’ would be added as a future item.