Decision details

The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport together with comments from the Audit, Best Value and Community Services Scrutiny Committee

It was RESOLVED to:

(1)  approve the proposed Libraries’ Transformation Programme, including:

(a) an internal review of the Library and Information Service

(b) the development of the Libraries’ Strategic Commissioning Strategy; and

(2)  agree to the public consultation in 2015/16 on the proposed changes to opening hours

Reason

The report presents the proposal for the implementation of the Libraries’ Transformation Programme that could achieve £2m savings and create a leaner, more efficient service to meet current and future needs. Through the implementation of an internal review of staffing, proposed reduction in opening hours and stock fund, £1.25m of savings could be delivered by the end of 2018/19. The Cabinet has  approved the proposed Libraries’ Transformation Programme, including an internal review of the service and the development and implementation of the Libraries’ Strategic Commissioning Strategy.

The implementation of the Strategic Commissioning Strategy itself will optimise how the Library Information Service is delivered, responding to current and future need, to achieve the best possible service within available resources. The outcome of the Strategy is dependent on the findings of the needs assessment. However, it is estimated that it could achieve further savings of £750k during 2018/19. The timing of when these savings are realised will depend on the future shape of the Library and Information Service and its service delivery model.