Buckinghamshire Library Cut Backs!

A new future for Libraries in Buckinghamshire

Date: 11-04-2011

 Today (11 April) Cabinet agreed a new model of delivery for 14 libraries in Buckinghamshire, following a comprehensive consultation.
This development comes at a time when budget pressures mean that all council services are being challenged to find new ways of delivering services. The County Council believe that increasing community involvement and tailoring services to the needs of the community is the best way forward to ensure a sustainable future for all 26 libraries in Buckinghamshire.

The new ‘county and community’ model for Buckinghamshire libraries will see the development of 14 community partnerships with local community groups, Parish Councils and partner organisations phased over the next two years. These libraries will be supported by nine larger county libraries and the increasing development of the virtual library and e downloads.

The nine county libraries are based in areas of high population; Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham, Beaconsfield, Princes Risborough, Buckingham, Hazlemere, and Marlow.
The 14 community partnership libraries are Castlefield, Chalfont St Peter, Farnham Common, Flackwell Heath, Gerrards Cross, Great Missenden, Haddenham, Iver Heath, Ivinghoe, Long Crendon, Stokenchurch, Wendover, Wing, Winslow.

There are a range of ways a community partnership could take shape; sharing premises with other local businesses and organisations, increasing community volunteering and fundraising, and self-managed, community-led libraries. The model is flexible and will be tailored to each local community with the ideas and development led by local residents and organisations.

The Council is committed to provide continuing support for theses libraries to ensure they are sustainable and affordable for the future.  The Council will continue to provide library loan stock, IT provision and connection to the county network and public PCs, online resources and resource grants to support some of the running costs.

Bourne End, Burnham and Micklefield libraries have been supported by £1.5 million from the Big Lottery. This support has enabled us to redesign and build new community facilities at each location. A key priority in the improvement of these libraries has been involving the community to build a space for people to use for local events and activities alongside mainstream library services. These libraries will be reviewed at the end of 2011.

The Council will begin planning a phased implementation for the 14 libraries with the anticipation that the first phase will begin in Oct 2011. The library service has to make savings of £688,000 over the next three years. Of this £488,000 will be saved through this new model.

The council will continue to provide a home library and mobile service to ensure that excluded and isolated residents can access library services.
Patricia Birchley Cabinet Member for Adults and Family Wellbeing said, ‘We are positive that with our flexible approach the ‘county and community’ model can be moulded to the different needs of the local communities involved. We are passionate and committed to working with communities to enrich their local service and take this opportunity to make a positive difference to their community.’

Source: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/news/new_future_for_libraries.page ?

Save Oxfordshire Services

Skill Up! Cuts Down! 

Sunday 8th May

10am - 6pm

East Oxford Community Centre, Princes Road, Oxford, OX4 1DD

To beat the cuts down we need the skills to make us effective campaigners. 

Whether you are just starting to take action or are a veteran activist looking for new ideas this day is for you. 

The day will include sessions on:

Media: get your voice into the news  

Lobbying: how to influence government  

Direct Action: media stunts and more 

Understanding the economics: gain confidence communicating about the economics of the cuts

Meetings: how to make them more fun and more democratic

Campaign strategy: what do you want to achieve and how to get there 

We also hope to include further sessions on social media, making your own video and protest law. Look out for details online as they emerge.

Please RSVP to sos.training@ox4.org letting us know which sessions you would like to attend and any special access requirements you have.

Korky Paul to award prizes:

Korky Paul to award prizes:

Presentation of about 50 prizes to school children who participated in the Save Headington Library writing competition by Korky Paul at 1pm on 16th April. http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/
Organised by Christine Trueman and Lynda Hayward:

1.00pm
16th April
Headington Library

Christine is organising an Easter bonnet competition with Easter egg prizes at 12.00pm on the same day.

County tears up library closure plan

8:00am Thursday 24th March 2011

By Reg Little

COUNTY HALL is abandoning controversial plans to end funding to almost half the county’s libraries.
Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell told The Oxford Times that the proposals had been “torn up”, with the council preparing to “rethink” its library policy.
The planned funding cuts led to months of protests over fears that many local libraries would be forced to close.
Mr Mitchell pledged that council officers would now be working with local communities on “a library-by-library basis” in an effort to avoid any closures.
In November, the council said it would stop funding to 20 of the county’s 43 libraries.

But in what will be seen as a major U-turn, Mr Mitchell said the council now wanted to begin working with local people “with the slate clean”. http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/8927997.County_tears_up_library_closure_plan/

I would call that Success

Following an extra provision of funding from the Government,
Oxfordshire County Council has finally, rather grudgingly, announced
that the twenty threatened libraries are to be spared and will be
allowed to carry on relying on a reduced staff eked out by community
volunteers.
It is the best outcome we can reasonably expect.
This happy news was announced today on Radio Oxford and it is also in
the Oxford Times.
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/8927997.County_tears_up_library_closure_plan/

We can now wind up the online petitions since the campaign can be
regarded as a success!

Time for a party, perhaps?

I know it is not ideal in every way and I am not excusing the way the Council will be making librarians redundant, but under the present dire economic circumstances - and with our existing County Council - it really is the best outcome we could get.

Keith Mitchell's latest Library Missive

Released today to county councillors

Personal Statement from Cllr Keith Mitchell CBE, Leader of the County Council

I have personally received a wealth of letters and e-mails about libraries. I recognise that people feel very strongly about this issue.

I want to reassure people that the County Council is looking at all options and has an open mind about the outcome of the consultation

I want the Council to work hand-in-hand with local communities to find a way to keep libraries open in Oxfordshire and to forge ahead with creating a modern library service that is comprehensive and efficient.

I want to see libraries remain open but this can only happen if, in some places, volunteers step forward to help to run them. We have seen how effective a Friends Group can be and believe they should form an essential component of every library service provided by the Council. In the coming year I want to work with every community that does not yet have one to establish a Library Friends Group to work with our staff to agree the best way forward for that library.

In places where the Council provides a full library service I hope that costs can be kept down by encouraging volunteers to supplement Council staff and by increasing the use of self service.

In some places there are lots of community buildings and I want the Council to work with local people to see if we can make better use of these facilities, particularly where the current library building is not very suitable.

In those places where the Council cannot afford to provide a full library service, I want the Council to give ongoing access to important local library facilities. More specifically, I believe we should continue to provide free access to a suitable library building, to our book stock; to the library stock management system and the expertise of qualified librarians. 

I have already announced that an additional late government grant has enabled us to put a little more money back into the service, giving the opportunity to rethink our strategy and to take longer over consultation.  As part of the consultation, I want the County Council to have a dialogue with local people library-by-library.  The consultation into the future of the library service will begin in mid-May. The consultation will run until the end of September to give plenty of time to hear people’s views and to consider options.  However, we still need to make some savings.

No decisions have been taken. Officers are working hard to rethink the process, complete the needs assessment and put together a consultation document. 

It is not appropriate to say any more at this time. Further information will be available in the consultation document. 

Keith R Mitchell

Cllr Keith R Mitchell

Leader of the Council

Neil Clark comments on Library issue

Comment is free

Don't privatise our libraries | Neil Clark

guardian.co.uk, 12 Mar 2011

Neil Clark

Neil Clark: The government's cuts threaten the future of much-loved public libraries. But we should be wary of its zeal for privatisation too

see also http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/decentralisation/tacklingburdens/reviewstatutoryduties/