Agenda item

Pam Usher, Library Service Manager

Feedback on the library consultation

Councillor Veronica Ward, cabinet member for culture, leisure sport and the Olympics and Pam Usher, Library Service Manager reported on the results of the library consultation.

Cllr Ward explained that the council had to look at making budget cuts across all services but the libraries were very important and that the library in Peckham feels connected to the local community. Some of the ideas gathered from the survey would be taken forward to cabinet when they take a final decision.

Pam Usher outlined some of the key headlines from the consultation. 9% of respondents didn’t have a Southwark library card but used the libraries for other activities to borrowing books. Peckham library was a key library for young people for example as a place to study. Overall 46% of people agreed with the principle to use more volunteers and 31% preferred to keep the same opening times even if it meant fewer libraries.

In terms of preferred options for savings the following results were gathered:

• 41%  said reduce opening hours
• 36% said reduce the number of smaller libraries
• 33% said reduce the budget for ICT
• 14% said reduce the number of staff

In Peckham the following options were preferred:

• 33% said reduce the opening hours
• 26% said reduce the budget for IT
• 49% said reduce the number of smaller libraries
• 17% said reduce the stock

Pam informed the meeting that the results of the survey and recommendations would be made to the cabinet at their meeting on 18 October 2011.

The chair thanked Cllr Ward and officers for their work on the consultation.