Minutes:
The Mayor agreed to proceed with the community library proposal and stressed that we welcome the involvement of local residents in shaping the “ask” for the anchor organisation. Cllr Upex is proposing to set up a Forest Hill Library Assembly Working Group of local residents to discuss the needs and support from local community groups. As the report to Mayor and Cabinet makes clear we are not outsourcing the library service itself as it will work on a peripatetic basis. We are asking the partners to manage the building and run their own services. The timetable for implementation is August 2016 so before entering the formal tendering process we want to make sure we capture the local needs in the library. The Head of Library service, Antonio Rizzo has offered to attend a meeting of the Working Group to talk through process. There is some specific information in the report on Forest Hill Library impact assessment pages 113 – 123 of the Mayor and Cabinet report.
The council needs to save £50 million by
2020. The proposed changes to the Library & Information Service
are part of the Budget Savings Proposals that will contribute
£1 million from the Libraries’ budget.
The Proposal aims to:
On 16 September 2015, the Safer Stronger
Select Committee considered the proposed changes to the Library and
Information Service in the context of the Lewisham Future Programme
that set out the Draft Savings.
On 30 November 2015, the Safer Stronger
Communities Select Committee heard the report on the outcome of the
public consultation the Proposal and the soft market test linked to
asset transfer of the Forest Hill, Torridon, and Manor House
buildings.
The Report concludes that
“the consultation on the proposed changes to the Library and Information Service attracted a strong response from residents. Respondents were overwhelmingly opposed to the proposal. A number of alternative proposals were put forward, the majority of which, would be unlikely to achieve the required £1 million saving. On balance, taking into account the strong opposition to the proposal and having considered the alternatives, it is felt that the preferred option laid out in the consultation paper builds on the experience that the council has developed since 2010 in relation to the asset transfer of the buildings and the delivery of library services through the Lewisham Community Libraries Model. The Model is sound and is sustaining a library service that has increased the satisfaction of Lewisham residents. The link that the council has established with local organisations has proven mutually beneficial, attracting increasing visitors to the community libraries. While it is recognised that the issuing of books has reduced, which requires further efforts from the Library and Information Team across the whole service, this is one of many functions that the libraries provide”.
Specifically on Forest Hill, on 2 December 2015, Cllr Upex suggested that the following – from the Forest Hill Library Assembly Working Group – be brought to the attention of Mayor and Cabinet:
While recognising the Council’s
difficult budget situation and the need to address it, we believe
Forest Hill Library is a valued and valuable community resource and
that any proposal to transfer the management and running of it
needs to be considered carefully.
We therefore agree to the establishment of a working group of Assembly members, whose remit will include an examination and assessment of the:
1. Financial issues arising out of and information relevant to such a transfer;
2. Feasibility of maintaining some dedicated librarian expertise on site;
3. Range of community needs in the area, how they are being met by other community facilities and groups, and the extent to which the library might complement and supplement that provision;
4. Type and range of income-generating activities consistent with maintaining the integrity of the building, community need and the requirement to attract sufficient levels of funds to help sustain such a resource;
5. Legal obligations on the council and potential partner organisation/s, and the need for a community-led group with which they might be required to consult during any contract process;
6. Contract specification and monitoring that might arise out of a proposal for such a transfer, underpinned by the priority of community need and building maintenance.
7. Although not intended as a prescriptive list, it could provide a starting point for the working group.
The working group with a provision of officer
support should aim to meet after Mayor and Cabinet meeting on 9
December, and aim to hear evidence and develop this approach before
the Council begins its tendering process.
Forest Hill has a wealth of community groups, who could contribute to this working group, and we hope would wish to do so. Otherwise, we put at risk a cherished community asset.
Safer Stronger Select Committee also
recommended that officers maintain communication with all affected
local groups as the work progresses.
On 9 December 2015, Mayor and Cabinet agreed
The staff consultation is likely to start in
January/February 2016 and likely to end with the reorganisation
being implemented in August 2016.
The procurement is to start in February and conclude with the handover in August 2016. The work on the Catford option is likely to follow similar timescales as the procurement.