Prosperous Staffordshire Select Committee - 12th September 2017

Staffordshire’s Libraries Strategy

Recommendation 1. That a detailed report on Staffordshire’s Library Service is considered by this

Committee Report of Gill Heath, Cabinet Member for Communities & the Environment

Summary What is the Select Committee being asked to do and why? 2. The Libraries & Arts Service welcomes comments from the Select Committee on

the current and proposed Library Offer; this will help to shape the future development of Staffordshire County Council’s strategy for their Library Services 2018-21.

3. That the Select Committee helps to identify the principles to determine where

community management or self-service is considered as an option. This will inform the subsequent Cabinet paper.

4. That the Select Committee endorses the principles contained in paragraph 107

which will inform the future planning of the Mobile & Travelling Library Service.

Report Brief Report Summary 5. This report outlines a proposed strategy for Staffordshire’s Libraries offer 2018-21.

6. The Libraries strategy includes an assessment of our progress to date following

the implementation of the new delivery model in April 2016 and evidences the impact of the introduction of Community Managed Libraries (CMLs).

7. The Libraries strategy outlines a proposal of how we could further develop the

service supported by technology and describes how we expand the existing community focused model to other libraries to realise further MTFS savings.

Local Members’ Interest

N/A

Section 1 – Context and Background 8. This report provides an update on the progress of the model for the library service

which was agreed by Cabinet on 18 February 2015: Libraries in a Connected Staffordshire: Part 3 and outlines a proposal for continued transformation of the library service.

9. As described in Libraries in a Connected Staffordshire: Part 3 the way that people

access information and learning, the way they socialise and interact with each other and with organisations continues to evolve in the digital age.

10. On 18 December 2014 the DCMS Independent Library Report for England1 was

published. The report highlights the “sustained and severe financial situation” and the “rapid pace of current change” which is impacting on libraries across England.

11. On 1 December 2016 DCMS published Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public

Libraries in England 2016-20212

12. The report advocates a “Libraries First” approach and highlights that libraries support other public services to achieve outcomes that are essential for individuals and communities to flourish (see Figure 1 below3).

13. Figure 1

1

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/388989/Independent_Library_Report-_18_December.pdf 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-

2016-to-2021 3 Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England. DCMS 2016

14. Libraries are strong partners in delivering agendas across the public sector, and

Staffordshire’s Library Service contributes to delivering outcomes within health and wellbeing, digital inclusion, literacy, life skills and social cohesion, playing a key role in the Place Based Approach.

15. It is essential therefore as we develop a Libraries Strategy for the future that we

continue to work with internal and external partners to ensure that the library service remains relevant and continues to be sustainable.

16. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 gives the County Council a statutory

duty to provide “a comprehensive and efficient library service”. The Council is also required to ensure that facilities are available for the borrowing of or reference to books, other printed materials, recorded music and films, or sufficient number, range and quality to meet the requirements of adults and children. The Council must also encourage adults and children to make full use of library services, and lend books and other printed materials free of charge to those who live, work or study in the area.

17. The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the library service across the

country in the role of ‘superintendent’ of the service. If a complaint is made to the Secretary of State that the County Council is failing to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, and the Secretary of State concludes that this is the case, then he can order the County Council to remedy this situation, and if the Council were to fail to do so then the Secretary of State can remove the authority’s functions in relation to the public library service.

18. This report therefore makes recommendations that will need to be tested with

communities to gain additional information and insight to inform the next steps of the Transformation.

Staffordshire Libraries 19. Across Staffordshire there are 43 library buildings, 2 mobile libraries, 1 travelling

library, 7 prison based libraries, a Schools Library Service and a developing virtual library experience which enhances the traditional offer. See Figure 2 below:

20. Figure 2

21. During 2016-17:

a. Staffordshire Libraries had 25,004 library members, over 2.4m physical library visits and 827,084 virtual visits and issued 1.4m items

b. 439,634 sessions were booked on library pcs, 11,299 children joined the Summer Reading Challenge and almost 26,000 bus passes were processed

c. 932 Expressions of Interest were received about volunteering, of these 636 people became trained volunteers during 2016-17.

d. 53,004 hours have been volunteered between September 2016 and July 2017 e. Making a financial, in kind, contribution of £742,0634 towards the delivery of

Staffordshire’s Library offer for the same period. f. There are currently over 784 volunteers in both Community Managed and

County Council Managed Libraries in Staffordshire and this number continues to grow.

g. See Libraries Infographic in Appendix A for more detail

Staffordshire Library Service Transformation – part 1

22. In 2012, like other library authorities, we were dealing with changing demographics, changing customer habits/expectations, a changing local authority landscape and enormous budget pressures.

23. Having changed aspects of the library service and saved £1.1m between 2008

and 2012 without closing libraries or ‘hollowing out’ the service, there was still a requirement to save £1.675m by 2016.

24. In response to these types of budget pressures many authorities were closing

libraries. Within Staffordshire we wanted to do everything we could to sustain our library service so we took an ambitious approach to transforming our service and designed, developed and implemented a new model for Staffordshire Libraries which was informed by extensive consultation.

25. Our ambition was to develop a sustainable library offer where all libraries

remained part of our statutory service and the community was encouraged to become more involved in co-producing services that were relevant to local need.

26. During 2014 we held a 12 week public consultation on a tiered model and initiated

a collective consultation process with our staff. We heard that:

a. People valued their library offer b. People valued the library as a community space c. People saw the library as enabling them to stay connected and feel supported.

4 The cost of volunteering in accordance with best practice is based on the following calculations (all

figures published May 2015 on ONS website regarding all UK industries and occupations.).Average

weekly earnings for full-time employees in the UK divided by hours in a full time week worked on

average equals £13.71 per hour average. Rounded up for ease of calculation to £14 per hour

volunteered.

27. As a result we realigned our model (see Figure 3) and this was agreed by the

County Council’s Cabinet in February 2015.

28. Figure 3:

29. Within the new operating model all 43 libraries remain part of our statutory network with 20 libraries managed and delivered by Staffordshire County Council and 23 libraries becoming Community Managed and Delivered by April 2018.

30. Following the implementation of the new operating model that was agreed by

Cabinet in February 2015, 19 libraries will be managed and delivered by community organisations, or South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (SSSFT) by the end of September 2017.

Community Managed Libraries – support

31. During our transformation we wanted to ensure that our libraries do not just ‘survive’, but flourish, and make an even greater difference in local communities. Our vision was, and continues to be, that we will work with organisations to develop a thriving and exciting library offer.

32. To ensure that communities are confident and equipped to take on the

management of their local library, we developed a strong package of support.

33. Staffordshire County Council continues to maintain all library buildings and pays agreed running costs including cleaning and grounds maintenance.

34. We continue to provide the book stock and any income generated through over

dues, requests or charged stock can be used by the Community Managed Library to re-invest into their library service.

Libraries & Arts Strategic Management

Operations Stock

Services and Activities

Community Capacity Building

35. We provide access to the library management system, online subscriptions, public internet access and WiFi with the same level of system support that we give to all libraries within our network.

36. The public consultation highlighted that access to paid members of staff across

the 23 libraries which were proposed as Community Managed and Community Delivered was essential and this was therefore built into the model which Cabinet agreed.

37. We appointed a Community Capacity Manager and a team of Officers who work

with our community managed organisations to provide professional guidance and expertise to ensure that the statutory library service continues to be delivered (see Figure 5 below).

38. Figure 5 – High level functions

39. The Community Support Officers role is to build strong relationships and develop effective partnerships within communities to ensure the sustainability of the Community Managed and Community Delivered library service.

40. Working alongside the Community Support Officers are the Stock Services &

Activities Officers. Their role is to provide direction and support for Staffordshire County Council Managed Libraries to increase participation in the library service; and provide indirect support for Community Managed Libraries, ensuring all communities across Staffordshire have access to relevant activities and resources.

41. A key task for our paid staff has been the development and delivery of an

extensive training programme for all volunteers. The training has been followed up with 2 weeks of direct on-site support once each has library transferred to ensure that the volunteers are confident in delivering a high quality library offer.

42. The feedback from all community managed library organisations and their

volunteers have been excellent and we believe that our continued commitment to these libraries helps to ensure that they remain vibrant spaces at the heart of communities.

43. Examples of Community Managed Libraries in Staffordshire can be found on our website: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/librariesnew/Help-shape-library-service/managed-libs/Examples-of-Community-Libraries-in-Staffordshire.aspx

Community Managed Libraries – implementation

44. To identify suitable organisations to manage and deliver our libraries, 3 separate

procurement phases have been undertaken.

a. Phase 1 – May – July 2015 b. Phase 2 – April –July 2016 c. Phase 3 – September 2016 – January 2017

45. Phase 1

Werrington Werrington Community Volunteer Group 14th May 2016

Rising Brook Rising Brook Baptist Church 31st May 2016

Blythe Bridge The Care and Fun Club 31st May 2016

Barton SSSFT 2nd May 2016

Baswich SSSFT 23rd May 2016

Holmcroft SSSFT 6th June 2016

Norton Canes SSSFT 13th June 2016

Brewood SSSFT 20th June 2016

Glascote SSSFT 27th June 2016

Hednesford SSSFT 4th July 2016

Heath Hayes SSSFT 15th August 2016

46. Phase 2

Library Organisation Provisional date to open as CML

Knutton Knutton St Mary’s Primary School September 2017

Wilnecote Wilnecote High School September 2017

Kinver Kinver Community Managed Limited 3rd January 2017

Silverdale BES - Business Enterprise Support 3rd January 2017

Audley Audley Library Volunteer Group 13th February 2017

Shenstone Shenstone Library Volunteer Group 27th March 2017

Gnosall GLEAN – Gnosall Library Education & Nurture

TBC5

Brereton Redbrook Hayes Primary School See below

47. Following extensive conversations with representatives from Redbrook Hayes

Primary School, we have jointly agreed that the school will no longer manage and

5 Gnosall Library provision is currently provided by a Mobile and Travelling Library Service and

GLEAN are working with Library Staff to develop a static library.

deliver this library. We are currently campaigning locally to recruit individuals to volunteer at Brereton Library and 12 volunteers have been recruited and trained.

48. Through the third phase procurement, we received a submission from

Loggerheads Information Shop to manage and deliver Loggerheads Library and it is anticipated that the library will transfer to the management of this group during September 2017.

49. There were no formal submissions for Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley and Talke

Libraries through this phase. However Norton Canes based organisation Catherine Cares submitted full applications to manage and deliver both Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley libraries in March 2017. The organisation supports adults with Learning Disabilities and there is potential for more able service users to volunteer at the community managed and delivered libraries alongside the wider community.

50. Catherine Cares is currently being supported by the library service to further

recruit and train volunteers within both locations. Regular action planning meetings are taking place as the organisation moves towards transition to take on the community management of both locations during September 2017.

51. We have not yet identified an organisation to manage and deliver Talke Library, however the library service are working with Support Staffordshire our Third Sector partner to develop a solution for this community and also for Brereton.

52. Our original intention was to transfer all 23 libraries to community management by

the end of March 2017. However in allowing time to successfully build capacity within communities, the transfer of the remaining libraries has taken longer than anticipated.

53. During 2016/17 six 12 month fixed term posts were included in the staffing

structure to support the transition of the community managed library model. These posts reached the end of their 12 month contracts and the funding was removed from the Libraries budget at the end of March 2017.

54. We were unable to continue resourcing the standard opening hours with paid staff

at libraries that had yet to transfer to community management and therefore introduced 10 hours per week opening at these libraries from 1 August 2017.

55. The hours will be reviewed when there are sufficient trained volunteers to open for

longer and it is expected that each library will revert back to their standard opening hours once the library transfers.

Community Managed Library model

56. There are 3 different types of Community Managed Library in Staffordshire:

a. Community Managed Libraries where existing groups have taken on the

responsibility for the Library e.g. Rising Brook Baptist Church who manage Rising Brook Library - see Case Study in Appendix B.

b. Community Managed Libraries where newly formed groups have taken on the

responsibility for the Library e.g. Shenstone Community Library - see Case Study in Appendix B.

c. Community Managed Libraries who are managed by South Staffordshire and

Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (SSSFT) - see Case Study in Appendix B.

57. The different management organisations and groups play a key role in the

successful delivery of our community managed libraries. Working with the Community Support Officers, the organisations provide an essential link between the County Council and the community library volunteers to ensure that the library service continues to meet our statutory requirements and is also reflective of local community need.

58. While visits, issues and new members across Community Managed Libraries

have not increased (see paragraph 66) the commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers ensures that community managed libraries remain vibrant spaces to connect people at the centre of communities.

59. The community managed library model within Staffordshire does enable continued

access to the library offer within communities and the wider benefits and impacts, as evidenced in the case studies in Appendix B are clear.

County Council Managed Libraries 60. All of our libraries changed as part of the Libraries Transformation and all Library

staff work within a new operating model alongside volunteers.

61. We continue to manage and deliver the statutory library service to encourage increased engagement and programmes of activity which promote literacy, learning, prosperity and wellbeing within communities.

62. During 2016-17 the library service participated in the following initiatives which

underpin the Society of Chief Librarians’ Universal Library Offers: World Book Night, Staffordshire Day, Celebrating Shakespeare, Mental Health Awareness Week, Dementia Awareness Week, World Mental Health Day, Volunteers Week, Health Information Week, Young Teen Fiction Award Celebration, Young Poet Laureate, Summer Reading Challenge, Staffordshire History Festival, Fun Palaces, Festival of Learning and Get Online Week.

63. There are also new opportunities to engage with people through code clubs,

dementia sessions, reading well and job clubs which are held at many of our libraries

64. During 2016-17 31,336 people attended events across the network of

Staffordshire libraries and 2,666 people attended outreach activities.

65. Remaining relevant to communities continues to be a challenge; during 2016-17 library visits to the 20 County Council Libraries decreased by 3.8%, issues decreased by 11.5% and new members decreased by 5%.

66. There is a similar pattern at the 23 libraries that either are or will become

Community Managed where during 2016-17 visits to these libraries decreased by 14.9%, issues decreased by 28.2% and new members decreased by almost 7.2%.

ISSUES - VISITS - NEW MEMBERS 2016/17

ISSUES 2015/16 2016/17 %age change

County Council Libraries 1,600,892 1,416,119 -11.5%

Community Libraries 544,192 390,820 -28.2%

Total for static libraries 2,145,084 1,806,939 -15.8%

VISITS 2015/16 2016/17 %age change

County Council Libraries 2,535,737 2,438,326 -3.8%

Community Libraries 604,740 514,782 -14.9%

Total for static libraries 3,140,477 2,953,108 -6.0%

Visits at Mobile Libraries 81,480 39,018 -52.1%

NEW MEMBERS 2015/16 2016/17 %age change

County Council Libraries 21,876 20,772 -5.0%

Community Libraries 4,561 4,232 -7.2%

Total for static libraries 26,437 25,004 -5.4%

67. The way in which people use libraries in Staffordshire is in line with national trends. Figure 6 6below compares Staffordshire against the other English Shire counties and Library authorities in England.

6 CIPFA Public Library Statistics Actuals 2013-16

68. Figure 7:

Library Relocations

69. The business case for the Newcastle Civic Hub, which includes relocating Newcastle Library was agreed in September 2014.

70. The Civic Hub, overlooking the Queens Gardens in Newcastle, will bring together

services from the borough council, county council and police under one roof within the town centre when it opens later this year.

71. A delegated decision was taken in July 2016 to relocate Lichfield Library to the

ground floor of St Mary’s in the Market Square in 2018. This will ensure that the city has a first-class and sustainable library for the next 30 years, and will safe guard an historic building from closure.

72. The new library at St Mary's will be a fully accessible and flexible space

incorporating many of the original building features including the chapel, pews and organ.

73. Meeting and performance space will be created by the Guild of St Mary's on the first floor alongside the Lichfield History Access Point which will give access to digitised archive materials and local and family history resources.

Libraries Transformation Part 2 - 2018-2021

74. The Libraries Transformation programme – part 1 delivered £1.675m savings

however further savings of £1.3m have been identified in the MTFS between 2018/19 – 2020/21

75. The savings currently identified for the Library Service within the MTFS are:

a. 18/19 - £500k b. 19/20 - £250k + £300k c. 20/21 - £250k

76. There is a need therefore to continue transforming Staffordshire Libraries to

enable the delivery of these savings and ensure a sustainable library service for the future.

Public Consultation

77. Through the Libraries Transformation part 1 we learnt the importance of a clear

narrative and the need to be transparent and honest with stakeholders and our workforce. Listening and responding to stakeholders enabled us to act collaboratively and lead thoughtfully as we developed and implemented our model.

78. Subject to Cabinet approval and to comply with our statutory duty, it is proposed

therefore that Staffordshire Libraries explore and consult on the following:

a. The introduction of self-service libraries b. An increased number of community managed libraries c. Options for any community libraries that have not yet transferred to Community

Management d. Reviewing and re-modelling the Mobile & Travelling Library Service

79. We want to seek the views of the Select Committee on the following principles

that will help to inform the criteria which could determine where community management or self-service could be considered as an option for each community:

1. Community Management could be considered at the least well used libraries.

Or

2. Community Management could be considered for any library where based on the existing model, the service considers that the opportunity for community management could be tested.

3.

Self-service could be considered for all SCC Libraries.

Or

4. Self-service could be considered for any library where the service considers that the opportunity for Self-service could be tested, with the core staffed hours determined by the current level of use

5. For some libraries this could result in consulting on more than one option

80. Public consultation during 2018 will provide additional insight and information

which will inform a further Cabinet report which will make final recommendations to enable the service to re-align their offer, take advantage of new technology and realise £1.3m MTFS savings by 2020-21.

81. If Cabinet agree this at their meeting on October 18 2017, informal consultation

would take place during November and December 2017 with a formal 12 week consultation period from January-March 2018. The consultation process will be managed with support from the Customer Insight & Engagement Team and the Communications and Marketing Team to ensure that internal and external communication processes are effective and that the wider Staffordshire population is engaged in a two way communication process.

82. The process for consultation both builds on learning from previous consultations

and also takes account of existing good practice. It will provide meaningful mechanisms for individuals, communities, partners, interested organisations and other key stakeholders to consider and comment on the proposals prior to any decisions being made.

83. Subject to approval, a formal 12 week consultation will run from 5 January to 30

March 2018.

84. A consultation plan will be developed in line with corporate and national guidance and taking into account good practice in managing and delivering similar large scale consultations.

85. The consultation process will ensure that:

a. Library users, potential users of the whole service have the opportunity to

comment on the proposals and therefore shape the library offer; b. Through existing networks and forums and wider communications children and

young people will be encouraged to take part in the process; c. Particular efforts will be made to engage with rural communities, vulnerable

people and individuals/groups with protected characteristics

86. Key stakeholders, including elected members, District and Parish Councils, Schools and the voluntary and community sector will also be engaged during this period and have the opportunity to participate. Strategic Delivery Manager’s and

Community Partnership Officers will be fully briefed and help to facilitate this aspect, particularly engaging with elected members and our key partners.

87. The 21 Libraries that have already transferred to Community Management or are

scheduled to transfer will not be within the scope of this consultation. This includes: Audley, Knutton, Silverdale, Loggerheads, Blythe Bridge, Werrington, Gnosall, Holmcroft, Baswich, Rising Brook, Brewood, Kinver, Glascote, Wilnecote, Barton, Shenstone, Hednesford, Heath Hayes, Norton Canes, Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley.

88. All consultation materials will be made available on the County Council’s website

as well as in hard copy in libraries and via the mobile library service. A list of FAQ’s will be regularly updated on the website as the consultation develops.

89. A full analysis and report of the consultation will be undertaken by the council’s

Customer Insight Team to ensure independence is built into this part of the process. This will be included in the follow up Cabinet report that makes it final proposal.

90. When the feedback from the formal consultation has been fully analysed, final

recommendations with a full Community Impact Assessment will be brought back to Cabinet for consideration next year.

Self Service Libraries

91. The Library Service is considering the introduction of a Self-Service System at

County Council Managed Libraries which would provide secure access to the library when it is not staffed. This may provide an opportunity to expand the hours that the library is accessible and reduce expenditure.

92. The self-service system is already being used successfully in other parts of the country including Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Peterborough and Brighton & Hove.

93. An automated self-service system “powers up” the library and swipe-card access

to library members over the age of 16 who have registered for self-service. During the hours when the library is accessible but not staffed, the library building is monitored by CCTV and remote support is provided from a telephone help desk.

94. As part of the self-service registration procedure, library members all complete an

induction which covers Health & Safety and evacuation procedures and all self-service members agree to an acceptable use policy.

95. Public Consultation would enable the Library Service to explore self-service options as an investment in technology to reduce core staffed opening hours and expand unstaffed opening hours. This would enable increased flexible use of a county council asset “out of hours” supported by “core hours” of staff-assisted time during the day.

96. The public will be consulted on where and how self-service could be introduced

across all County Council Managed Libraries. This will include consultation on the

number of core staffed hours at all libraries in scope. It is not envisaged that any library will be fully self-service or that self-service will be introduced at Community Managed Libraries.

Community Managed Libraries

97. As part of the formal consultation process we will consult on the potential to

transfer further libraries to community management, the principles we will apply (see paragraph 79) will be subject to the comments from the Select Committee.

Community Libraries that have not transferred to Community Management

98. Organisations to manage and deliver the library service at Talke or Brereton have not yet been identified.

99. If no organisation has been identified to manage and deliver the library service

within these communities by 1 December 2017, it is proposed that as part of the consultation we will consult on future options for these libraries.

Mobile & Travelling Library Service

100. Staffordshire County Council currently provides a Mobile and Travelling Library

Service which delivers a library service to 151 communities.

101. The Mobile & Travelling Library Service costs £277,593 per year to run. This includes management time and mandatory training costs. It costs approximately £6.467 to visit a mobile library compared to approximately £2.268 to visit a static library.

102. The Mobile & Travelling Library Service was reviewed during 2015/16 and

following public consultation new routes for delivery were introduced and implemented in April 2016. The service is now delivered via two Mobile Libraries and one Travelling Library. Prior to the review during 2015/16 there were six mobiles and two travelling libraries.

103. This review realised savings of £350,000 and it was agreed as part of the 2016

MTFS process that the service would be re-reviewed during 2018/19 to realise a further saving of up to £300,000.

104. If the £300,000 that has been identified within the MTFS is removed in full from

the Mobile & Travelling Library Service budget, the remaining vehicles would be withdrawn and the service would cease from April 2019.

105. During 2016-17 there were 39,018 in person visits to the mobile and travelling

library service this is a decrease of 52.1% on the previous year which is not unexpected given that the service was reduced significantly in April 2016.

7 This is an internally produced cost figure used to show the difference between the Mobile &

Travelling Library Service and static libraries. The cost per visit for Staffordshire Libraries (which includes static and mobile libraries) as published in CIPFA 2013 /14 was £2.66. 8 See above

106. To ensure that the Mobile & Travelling Library Service can continue to deliver a

library service to rural or isolated communities, it is proposed that the public are consulted on a set of principles which will inform the future planning of mobile routes. We believe that these principles will ensure that the service continues to reach into areas of greatest need.

107. It is therefore proposed to seek views on the following principles as part of the

public consultation, subject to the endorsement of the Select Committee.

1. Mobile and Travelling library stops will take account of the location of static libraries to ensure that duplication of service is not taking place. It is proposed that Mobile and Travelling Libraries will generally visit locations outside a 2 mile radius of a static library. However there could be exceptions identified through the public consultation that will need to be considered in the final proposals taking into account:

a. The needs of areas of deprivation

b. The needs of hard-to-reach groups

c. How connected communities are in terms of access to transport to reach static libraries and accessibility to online services and information through Internet access

2. Based on performance of the last two years, where a mobile or travelling library has not received at least five visitors within a community, a mobile or travelling library service will continue.

3.

Each community identified as needing a mobile or travelling library service through this review will receive one mobile or travelling library visit at least once every 4 weeks. This will maximise access to the service across the county.

4. The duration of the mobile or travelling library stops will be for a minimum of 15 minutes. Length of stop time will depend on the level of use at each stop.

5. Continuation of service to those in greatest need is a priority. We will consider carefully how the needs of the vulnerable, the elderly and other protected groups can be met if there is a recommendation to change the service in their community. Alternative ways of ensuring service delivery will be explored during the consultation and recommended in the final proposals.

6. All routes and stops will be reviewed on an annual basis.

108. To help inform the future routes and shape of the service, Mobile & Travelling

Library Service staff will be given the opportunity to comment as part of the consultation.

109. Having completed a financial review and performance analysis of the Mobile &

Travelling Library Service, it is proposed that communities, individuals and stakeholders are consulted on the principles and the proposed routes and stops for the Mobile & Travelling Library Service which are currently being developed.

110. The stops that we are proposing to retain will be selected by applying the

principles above and taking into account:

a. Existing level of use b. Distance from a static library c. Index of multiple deprivation d. Car ownership e. Access to public transport f. Current level of internet access and provision within a locality

111. As we continue to transform the library service it is important that the static and

mobile library service are reviewed in parallel to ensure that we continue to meet out statutory duty and do not create a gap in provision.

Timescales

112. The timescales to bring final proposals to Cabinet, which will be informed by

public consultation are as follows:

Pre Engagement November-December 2017

Public Consultation January-March 2018

Analysis of the consultation April 2018

Report to PSSC May 2018

Report to Cabinet June 2018

113. Prior to taking proposals to Cabinet in October 2017, we are asking the Select

Committee to comment on the principles within paragraph 79 and endorse the principles within paragraph 107.

List of Background Documents: Libraries in a Connected County, part 3, Cabinet Report 18th February 2015 http://moderngov.staffordshire.gov.uk/documents/s57357/Libraries%20in%20a%20Connected%20Staffordshire%20-%20part%203.pdf Appendix A – Staffordshire Libraries infographic 2016-17 Appendix B - Case Studies

Report Commissioner: Janene Cox OBE Job Title: Commissioner for Culture & Communities Telephone No: 01785 278368 Email: janene.cox@staffordshire.gov.uk