The Panel received a report
which set out details of the draft Libraries Strategy which was to
be considered by Cabinet on 20 December 2019. The report provided
the background to the libraries remodelling process, including the
extensive public consultation process that had been
undertaken.
The Cabinet Member
with Responsibility for Communities (CMR) advised that considerable
progress had been made in modernising Worcestershire’s
library services in recent years. It was stressed that the
Transformation Programme had never been about seeking to close
libraries, but instead it had focused on how the Council’s
statutory function could be fulfilled in a challenging financial
environment, whilst also ensuring value for money. The CMR provided
a brief overview of the draft Strategy, including the five
strategic ambitions which set out the vision for the libraries
service for the next five years. The Panel was assured that all 21
of the libraries in the County formed part of the statutory
offer.
The Assistant Director reminded
the Panel of the journey that had been taken to arrive at this
stage. The modernisation programme, which had resulted in
efficiency savings of £3.9m since 2011/12 had been achieved
as a result of a range of transformational approaches, including a
comprehensive property remodelling programme, staff and management
restructures and investment in self-service technology.
With the findings of the
Worcestershire Libraries Needs Assessment in 2018 and a set of
recommendations for going forward, the Cabinet had agreed to launch
a wide-ranging public consultation exercise, which was then
completed by the Spring 2019. A Local
Government Association Peer Review was also completed in May 2019
and the Cabinet had consolidated all of the feedback and learning
that had been obtained in order to shape a medium to long term
Strategy, which would then underpin all future delivery changes. In
the meantime, savings had continued to be delivered.
It was recognised that Panel
had played an active and constructive role in the above process,
including taking part in a number of site visits to libraries
outside of the County. These visits had
proved beneficial to inform the Scrutiny process by expanding
Members learning of different service models including how they
operated in practice. One of the issues that had been highlighted
was the significant investment which would be involved in operating
an open library, because of the high cost of security monitoring
systems.
The Service Manager
- Libraries and Culture outlined the detail of the five strategic
ambitions, as follows:
- A Library service for everyone, with
initiatives to raise awareness and widen community engagement
including an extended digital offer and working with external
partners. The Assistant Director highlighted that the
implementation of the strategy would need Corporate support and
involvement to ensure that it was successful.
- Libraries First, putting libraries at
the heart of the delivery of Council and community services.
Libraries would become the front door to Council services and
provide new opportunities for services to be delivered.
- Resilient, Independent and Connected
Communities, using the libraries brand to
deliver services to improve the health and quality of life of
residents. The Panel was advised that libraries provided trusted
spaces where services could be offered, which could potentially
reach more people and therefore improve best value. As an example,
Kidderminster library had a working space where staff could connect
to the Council network, and therefore could be used by a variety of
staff when their job demands required a temporary base away from
their office.
- Prosperous Communities – Developing new services to support business enterprise and
skills and to help people into work. The Hive was cited as an
example where there were currently a variety of initiatives
offering support to businesses for their growth, for example with
training facilities, adult learning, job club and
traineeships.
- Sustainable and Innovative libraries –
Investing in new service models and
securing new funding to future-proof the libraries service. The
Panel was informed that a key approach going forward would be to
use every opportunity to expand the use of shared buildings, with a
continuation of the property remodelling programme. The Service Manager advised that there had been
little public support for the community managed libraries,
therefore instead the community support model, for instance as
currently in Hagley and Cats hill libraries, would be
extended. In terms of opportunities for
service growth, the potential of Section 106 funding was raised.
Members were keen that the libraries team were made aware of all
the potential opportunities for tapping into the S106 monies,
including where new communities were being developed or to
redevelop an existing community building which was no longer
viable.
Members raised a number of
issues and questions as follows:
- A Member asked how
more residents could be encouraged to use the range of libraries
services on offer. The Service Manager explained that there were a
range of initiatives that were aimed at achieving this, especially
with regard to digital services, of which awareness levels were
particularly low.
- In terms of
maintaining momentum of this awareness raising, the Panel was
advised that the Team’s work would be creative and targeted,
for instance seeking to raise awareness amongst groups which were
currently under-represented
- Where an open plus
library system was being considered, the point was reinforced that
safeguarding needed to be given the highest priority when
arrangements were put in place.
- Whilst acknowledging
that the five ambitions were very worthy, a Member queried what
underpinned them and whether any local authority had evidence that
by raising awareness, a significant difference could be made to the
use of services. The Assistant Director explained that the impact
of the Strategy would need to be tracked in accordance with the
Needs Assessment base line.
- A further question
was raised as to whether the Council had the resources available to
be able to deliver the plans set out for libraries. The Assistant
Director confirmed that over time the resources would be available,
provided savings continued to be identified and corporate support
was forthcoming.
- The CMR highlighted
that Worcester City Council had provided some funding to support
Warndon and St John’s Libraries.
- In response to a
question about whether the Worcestershire Local Enterprise
Partnership (LEP) was involved with the Hive, the Service Manager
advised that the LEP was involved through the Economic Development
and Learning and Skills teams, but not directly with the
libraries.
- A Member suggested
that it would be helpful to include an overall ambition statement
to tie in all the aspects of the Strategy. ‘Active
Minds’ was a possible theme for this, which would directly
link to efforts to improve the mental health of
residents.
The Assistant Director provided
an update on the libraries savings plan for 2018 - 2021. The Panel
was advised that there was still a further £294k of savings
which needed to be identified and delivered in 2020/21. These
savings would be achieved through measures such as renting space in
libraries, introducing self-service technology and seeking further
community support. It was highlighted that the Open Plus library
proposals were included in the business plan for
2020/21.
The Senior Project Manager
provided the Panel with details of the implementation time line
going forward. The key initial elements of work would
involve:
- Developing the
workforce and determining the best fit for the future management
and staffing structure.
- Focusing on
developing a robust Communication and Engagement
Strategy
- A close check on
technology systems to ensure continued integration with the
Council’s Digital Transformation Strategy
- Identifying further
service development opportunities and improvements to service
planning
- Continuing with the
property re-modelling programme including innovative use of spaces
and co-location with partners.
The Panel was informed that the
Transformation Programme would continue to be managed through the
Libraries Programme Board. The Libraries Team were also keen to
maintain the current relationship with the Scrutiny Panel, which
had proved to be beneficial.
In response to a few detailed
queries raised by Councillor Hotham, it was agreed that Officers
would liaise with him outside of the meeting to clarify the
matters.
The CMR thanked the Members of
the Panel for the time they had given to the libraries issue. She
reassured the Panel that the aim of the strategy was all about
modernising the libraries service, rather than closing any of the
current sites.
It was agreed that the
Panel’s comments would be forwarded to the CMR and would
include:
- The Panel’s
support for the Strategy, seeking assurance that sufficient
resources were available to deliver the strategy
- A request to see a
detailed Implementation Plan when available
- The suggestion for
consideration be given to including an overarching ambition
statement relating to the ‘Active Minds’ theme to link
to the development of the libraries service
- Where possible, the
exploration of opportunities for S106 monies that might benefit the
development of the libraries service
- The need for the
highest priority for safeguarding when proposals for unstaffed
hours were considered.