Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Communication, Marketing and Leisure to review the new Library Performance Standards – “Libraries are making a difference”.

10.40 a.m. -11.10 a.m.

The Lead Member for Leisure, Youth, Tourism and Rural Development presented the report, on “Meeting the New Framework of Welsh Public Library Standards 2014-17” (previously circulated).  The Lead Member and officers also requested members’ observations on the future vision for the County’s libraries as community hubs

The report had been requested by the Performance Scrutiny Committee following the Information Report circulated to Members in May 2014.

During the presentation of the report, it was emphasised that despite the fact that Denbighshire did not meet three out of the eight national standards set by the regulator – CyMAL, the Library was an extremely popular service with users.  The standards which had not been met related to staffing numbers, building condition surveys and Wifi availability.  As the latter was in the process of being met, a conscious decision had been taken with regards to not striving to meet the other two on the grounds of budget  constraints and the fact that all buildings were of a satisfactory quality and the survey was a superfluous administrative exercise.  The Council had consistently, for the past 12 years or more, ranked in the top quartile  in Wales for the number of library visits, numbers of books issued and customer satisfaction - recently it had been judged joint first in Wales for customer satisfaction amongst under 16 year olds.  CyMAL did acknowledge that the County's library service was a popular and valuable service - visitor figures had actually increased during 2013/14.  Going forward and, with a view to continuing with the delivery of a popular service in the face of financial cuts, an innovative method for delivering library services alongside other community and local authority services was being proposed, by the establishment of Community Hubs.  Each community hub, located in existing library buildings, would be tailored to deliver the key services required in those individual communities.  Whilst those proposals were not aimed at achieving all of CyMAL's new framework indicators, they were in-keeping with the WG's vision for community based services and community hubs designed to deliver services in a holistic way.  Officers had met with CyMAL officials to discuss the proposed future vision for the county's libraries and they understood the rationale behind the proposals and were broadly supportive of them.

In response to members' questions, officers:

·         outlined the capital and revenue costs of installing and maintaining Wifi in libraries and the various funding sources which had been utilised to fund the installation

·         confirmed that plans were underway to install Wifi at the two remaining libraries during 2015

·         detailed the types of services, both public and voluntary, which could be housed within the proposed community hubs

·         confirmed that the school library service would cease in March 2015, but as the majority of schools contacted the mainstream library service with enquires and requests, the cessation of the service should not have a detrimental affect

·         the  transfer of management responsibility for the library service to the Customers and Education Support Service would provide the ideal opportunity for enhancing the working relationship between the education and libraries services.  It would also facilitate the delivery of certain education services i.e. digital and literary skills courses within community hubs in future

·         confirmed that it was a statutory requirement for each local authority to provide a library service, the method for delivering that service was at the discretion of each individual Council

·         advised that the Service purchased books via the All-Wales consortia which realised considerable financial savings for the Council

·         stated that the areas freed within libraries, once art based exhibitions had been phased out, would be used to deliver community based services.  However, this did not mean that art service staff would not be available to assist arts group to organise/set-up exhibitions at other centres within the community

·         confirmed that the art service would be willing to work with community groups etc., to seek and apply for external funding for community focused services

·         confirmed that the Service, despite the cuts it faced, should have sufficient capacity in future to undertake its own customer satisfaction surveys rather than pay an outside provider to undertake them.

Members also enquired about the possibility of all libraries/community hubs located in areas where fibre optic broadband was available providing those services, and for future plans for a permanent exhibition for the late Philip Jones-Griffiths being housed at Rhuddlan Library. 

Members congratulated officers and staff on providing such a popular and valued service despite not meeting all the Regulator's requirements, and for also being willing to meet the Regulator and explain why indicators were not met and explaining the Authority's vision and rationale. The  Committee:

Resolved : 

(i) subject to the above observations on the requirements of the Fifth Framework of Library Standard to receive the Library Service's estimated performance for 2014-17;

(ii) to schedule into its forward work programme for October 2015 CyMAL's Annual Assessment  based on the Library Service's 2014-15 performance; and

(iii) that the report in October 2015 also include a progress report on the development of libraries into community hubs.