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Scrutiny Topic Group

27 February 2009

New Barnfield

Mobile Library Services

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Mobile Library Service

Glenda Wood: Head of Libraries, Culture & Learning

Derek Knight: Head of Operations, Planning & Performance

Jean Holmes: Head of Logistics & Continuity

Michele Murphy: Property Project Manager

Neil Baxter: Mobile Services Manager

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Programme for day

• Morning session: current issues

Q&A session with expert witnesses

• Visit to an Urban and Rural Mobile

• Afternoon session: future issues

Q&A session

• Recommendations

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Issues and challenges

• Extensive county wide service

• Popular with local residents

• Reviewed and reorganised in last five years

• Different from static libraries

• Facing new challenges and change is inevitable

• Long lead in time for effective change

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Mobile library services: An Introduction

Neil Baxter

Mobile Services Manager

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A single staffed service

Mobile Services Supervisor

18 Library Assistant/Drivers

1 Centres Delivery Driver

2 Mobile Services Assistants

Mobile Services Manager

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Our services

• Universal

• Stock and information

• Library catalogue

• Reservations

• Gateway to all HCC services

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Our services

Five Urban Mobile Libraries

• Serve customers in urban neighbourhoods

• Weekly stops

• 53 stops in nine settlements

• Access for those who cannot get to static libraries

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Our services

Five Rural Mobile Libraries

• Serve customers in more rural locations

• Serve customers on shorter stops in urban locations

• Fortnightly stops

• 306 stops in 173 locations

• Support both individuals and communities

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Our services

• Accessibility: Stopping places Limited mobility of

some customers

• Public transport

• Distance from static libraries

Complexities of routes and stops:

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Our services

Rural and Urban: What’s in a name?

Hitchin Mobile:

• Route 2 – fortnightly stops in rural locations

• Route 8 – fortnightly stops in urban locations

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Our customers

• Customers in majority of settlements across the county

• Targeted services

• Community focus

• Individual service

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Our targeted services

Three Community Service Mobiles• Support for residential homes, sheltered housing

and day centres• 218 stops on a three weekly route plan• More personal service• Home Library Service

Centres Deposits• 227 stops on a bi-monthly route plan

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Information Technology

Best Value Report 2003

• Introduce ICT onto vehicles using mobile telephone technology

• Longer stops for communities to increase access to ICT in line with corporate priorities, e-government principles and Framework for the Future

• Provision of management data to measure take up of services in rural communities to help with HCC’s social inclusion agenda

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Information Technology

• 2003/04 pilot on one vehicle

• 2004/05 extend pilot to all vehicles

• Route re-organisation

• Internet access

• Single staffing

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Information Technology

• Portable laptops

• Catalogue

• Information

• Referral point

• Reservations

• Renewals

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Our IT challenges

• Reliability

• Connectivity

• Staff and Customer feedback

• Reconfiguration of stops

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What our customers think of the service

“ The mobile library is an essential part of village life and has been a wonderful service for me for more years than I care to remember ”

Public Library User Survey 2006

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“ As my husband is disabled we rely on the library which stops opposite our house. We use this facility every week…and the staff are very helpful and cheerful ”

What our customers think of the service

Public Library User Survey 2006

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“ The man who looks after the mobile is a credit to you. He is helpful, polite and always cheerful. This is an excellent service that I have not been using for long – my kids love it too! ”

What our customers think of the service

Public Library User Survey 2006

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Flexible service?

• Domino effect of any route changes

• Customers are sensitive to change

• Currently operating at full capacity

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Key messages

We know:

• We are a valued service

• We are a complex service

• We need to change to meet future demands

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Key issues affecting current service delivery

Michele Murphy

Property Project Manager

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Key issues:

• Staff recruitment and retention

• Vehicle replacement programme

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Recruitment & retention

• Single staffing

• Changes to legislation

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Single staffing

• Unique combination of skill sets required for Library Assistant/Drivers

• Long term appeal of lone working

• Limited flexibility of staffing resources

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Changes to legislation

• “Acquired rights” to drive C1 category vehicles prior to 1997

• Introduction of driver’s Certificate of Professional Competence

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Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)

• Legal requirement which will affect our Library Assistant/Drivers

• 35 hours training over five year period

• Must have completed training by September 2014

• Means starting training in September 2009

• Continuous training

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Five CPC modules

• Fuel economy training

• Drivers’ hours and tachographs

• Maintenance and Regulations

• Health and Safety

• Customer service

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Impact on our service

• Cost of additional training

• Affect on staff recruitment AND staff retention

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Vehicle replacement programme

• Our vehicles are custom built

• Our vehicles are all leased

• Leases expire between 2010–2017

• Lead-in period required for substantial changes to the existing fleet

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Questions that we need to ask now:

• What service do we want to deliver?

• What vehicles do we need to build?

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Summary of current service provision

Complexity of service delivery to target groups

Technical witnesses Alan Smith – Head of Contract Management Services Peter Shaw – IT Network Design

Visits to two Mobiles Hertford Heath and Panshanger

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Mobile Library Service

1.00 - 2.00 Lunch

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Issues for the future

• How does the service perform?

• Demographic changes

• Strategic priorities for the future

• Recommendations

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How well does the service perform?

• Does the service reach target groups identified in the Best Value Review?

• Is the service used and valued by local communities it serves?

• How efficient is the current service delivery model?

• How does the service compare to Mobile Libraries in other local authorities?

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Does the service reach its target groups ?BVR concluded that

• Longer stops for communities to increase access to IT in line with corporate priorities.

• Increase use by the under fives in disadvantaged areas. This would be dependent on the capacity of the vehicle fleet after the route review.

• Ensuring equality of provision to the communities served

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Equality of provision

Mobile Service route review changes:

• Maintained service to most settlements in county

• Maximised opening hours to public by reducing travelling time by 8%

• Resources (vehicles and staff) used more effectively

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Membership of target groups – Mobile libraries

Total Collection Management/ Flexible membership:

• Membership is difficult to extract from usage figures but in January 2009

3,406 members registered at Mobiles 328 were under five

• 2006 Public Library User Survey Large proportion of elderly users on Mobiles

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Public Library User Survey 2006

Age profile of people surveyed in 5 Mobile Libraries

Age 16-44 45-64 65-75 75 +

Mobiles 22% 17% 25% 35%

Statics 45% 18% 25% 11%

Community service vehicles aimed largely at 65+ population

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Is the service used and valued by local communities it serves?Customer satisfaction:

• 2006 PLUS survey – 84% satisfaction compared with 90% satisfaction for static libraries – but balanced with positive comments:

'Our Mobile Library service is fantastic. This is largely due to the librarian who makes us feel so welcome, is always cheerful and helpful'

'The Mobile library is an essential part of village life and has been a wonderful service for me for more years than I care to remember'

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Route re-organisation complaints• xx says he is the only customer who uses the mobile in Wallington.

The change of day from Wednesday to Friday is not convenient for him and he will no longer be able to use it.

• Annoyed that we have changed the day that the mobile visits from Monday to Wednesday. She works on Wednesday.

• Unhappy that the mobile is no longer stopping in Davis Crescent. Is able to walk to High Street but would not be able to carry the books as well.

• Very concerned that the mobile would cause congestion outside the school now that the times of the visit have been changed to coincide with the children leaving the school at the end of the day.

• Used to use the stop in Ryder Avenue which is no longer on the new schedule. She is unable to walk very far and is now unable to access other stops in Ickleford.

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How well used are the Mobile Libraries?Visits per hour   Issues per hour

Redbourn 22.1   Redbourn 27.2

Wheathampstead 21.9   Woodhall 26.9

Woodhall 21.3   Adeyfield 25.9

Cuffley 21.0   St Albans Mobile (Urban) 24.8

Welwyn 18.0   Stevenage Old Town 24.7

Stevenage Old Town 17.6   Hertford Mobile (Rural) 23.6

Sawbridgeworth 15.4   Stevenage Mobile (Urban) 22.5

Hemel Hempstead Mobile (Urban) 8.5   Cuffley 21.4

Stevenage Mobile (Urban) 8.5   Brookmans Park 19.8

St Albans Mobile (Urban) 8.1   Cheshunt Mobile (Rural) 18.7

Harpenden Mobile (Rural) 6.5   Hemel Hempstead Mobile (Urban) 17.3

Watford Mobile (Urban) 6.3   Watford Mobile (Urban) 17.1

Welwyn Hatfield Mobile (Urban) 6.2   Kings Langley Mobile (Rural) 17.0

Hertford Mobile (Rural) 6.1   Harpenden Mobile (Rural) 16.7

Cheshunt Mobile (Rural) 6.1   Hitchin Mobile (Rural) 16.2

Hitchin Mobile (Rural) 5.0   Waltham Cross 15.5

Kings Langley Mobile (Rural) 4.2   Welwyn Hatfield Mobile (Urban) 14.8

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How efficient is the service?

• Unplanned closures

• Cost

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Unplanned closures – hours lost

Apr-Dec

Vehicle repair/ servicing;

severe weather

Lack of staff

Total hours lost

Percentage of total opening

hours

2007 493 703 1286 11.1%

2008 239 494 733 6.84%

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Cost

Contractual costs 2008-09

Staffing 499,500

Vehicle Service Level Agreement 172,000

Other non-pay costs 23,800

Total 695,300

Income -12,000

Total £683,300

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Comparative cost and use As a proportion of total library service

Staffing costs Issues Visits

4.27% 3.7% 1.7%

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Comparisons with other local authorities?

Compared with 33 County authorities, HCC has:

• 6th largest population

• 3rd smallest area

• 2nd highest population density

• 3rd highest number of mobiles

• 8th highest average weekly opening hours

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Key messages for Performance Indicators• Reliability is a concern• Low footfall but a valued community asset • Further research is needed on:

Who uses the Mobile Library Service in Hertfordshire

Cost benefit analysis of the present service The effectiveness of Mobile library services

in other local authorities

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Impact of social and demographic change

Michele Murphy

Property Project Manager

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Key issues:

• Ageing population

• Transport and access

• Community cohesion

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Ageing population

• Life expectancy in Hertfordshire is above the national average

• Number of people aged 100 or over

2005 = 145

2055 = 2,030

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Ageing population

• By 2025 number of people aged 75+ is predicted to increase from 82,000 to 116,000

• Increase will vary across the county

• North and East predicted to increase by 60%

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Ageing population

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

Ag

e b

and

Persons

2006 Females

2006 Males

2031 Females

2031 Males

Age pyramid 2006 and 2031 - Hertfordshire

Source: Office for National Statistics, 2006-based population projections, published 12th June 2008. Crown copyright.

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Transport and access• Car ownership in Hertfordshire is high but not universal:

17.7% of households have no car 41.9% of households have one car

• Public Transport in rural areas can be difficult to access Nationally more journeys in rural areas are made on

foot than by public transport

• Problems not confined to rural areas. Lack of access to convenient bus services is also a problem in towns

• Other motoring costs (eg parking fees) can prohibit visits to town centre facilities

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Community cohesion

Decline of local services:

• Continuing trend of fewer rural services eg banks, shops, post offices

• Out of town retail parks impacting on rural and urban settlements

• Communities sensitive to further reduction in local services

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Community cohesion

Housing Development:

• Hertfordshire population is estimated to increase by 18.4% by 2031

• Increase will vary around county (Welwyn Hatfield 33.2%, North Herts 26%, Stevenage only 9.5%)

• Pressure to provide additional housing to meet government and regional targets

West of Stevenage, North of Harlow

• Need to provide access to local services for new developments

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Community cohesion

Diverse communities:

• Every part of Hertfordshire has its own mix of ethnic communities

• Numerically significant groups identified in some areas

• Economic migration means populations are liable to change

• Can our service respond to the needs of these communities and change when required?

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Contribution to Hertfordshire’s Sustainable Community Strategy

• Safer and stronger communities

• An ageing population

• Health and wellbeing

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Contribution to Hertfordshire’sSustainable Community Strategy

• Transport and access

• Sustaining Hertfordshire’s unique character and quality of life

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Future development of the service

Key questions to consider:

• Service currently at capacity. How should we adapt in order to meet changing demands?

• What is the right balance of universal services to communities and targeted services for individuals?

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Future development of the service

Key questions to consider:

• How could we work in partnership with others to enhance services?

• What type of vehicles do we need to deliver the service effectively in the future?

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Summary and recommendations• Low footfall but a valued community asset• Reliability of service is a concern• Service needs to respond to changing future demands

Sensitive to any change Full capacity/ limited flexibility Long lead in time to introduce changes

• Further research on future delivery Who uses our present service Different delivery options Balance between a universal and targeted service

• Protection from future budget constraints?• No simple answers