Issue - meetings

To consider a package of measures in order to deliver savings from the library service budget.

A report from the regeneration and leisure scrutiny sub-committee providing comments and recommendations to the library services review report were circulated at the meeting.  Comments of the strategic director of environment and leisure to the scrutiny sub-committee report were also circulated at the meeting.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the package of measures summarised below and described in more detail in the body of the report be agreed in order to deliver £397,000 of savings from the library service budget in the financial years 2012/13 and 2013/14.

a.  Use of volunteers £40,000

b.  Reshaping of opening hours at smaller libraries to offer more days open but with less hours overall.  This to be combined with an invitation for community management for the period of reduced hours £80,000

c.  A staff reorganisation of £120,000

d.  Sharing resources with other boroughs £50,000

e.  Sharing space with Housing at Peckham Library and thereby reducing library costs by £57,000

f.  New rental saving of £50,000 from the creation of the new Camberwell Library 

2.  That officers be instructed to bring forward proposals on a new delivery model for the home library service as part of the 2012/13 budget setting process to achieve a budget saving of £104,000.

3.  That it be noted that although additional income or fees and charges were not proposed within the report, some minor changes to fees and charges arising from this will be brought forward as part of the annual fees and charges setting process.  The service will continue to seek external funding and seek to improve its marketing in line with the recommendations from the libraries review consultation.

4.  That officers continue to undertake further work on identifying possible future models of service to ensure the longer term viability of the library service in respect and / or savings.  These should include:

a.  Community management of libraries including assessing the offers for the community management

b.  Sharing services with other boroughs either through the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) Future Libraries Programme pilot project or any cross borough negotiations. 

c.  Co-locating or integrating with other Southwark services

d.  Working with the customer services division to support the emerging corporate customer services strategy

e.  Seeking opportunities for resolving building issues through regeneration or other property opportunities 

f.  Reviewing the effectiveness of volunteer arrangements introduced as a result of this report.

5.  That the opportunity to replace Grove Vale Library as part of a new development adjacent to East Dulwich Station be welcomed; noting that there are both revenue and capital implications for this and that these issues will be addressed as part of the council’s budget-setting process for the next three years.