REPORT TO THE CABINET 3 November 2015

Cabinet Member: Councillor Ioan Thomas

Subject: Library Service

Contact officer: Sioned E. Williams, Head of Economy and Department

Decision sought

To defer the final decision on the Library Service Strategy until after the Gwynedd Challenge (Her Gwynedd).

Local member’s views

N/A

Introduction

1. Review of the Library Service 1.1 A Review of the Library Service was undertaken during 2013-14 under the guidance of a Members’ Consultative Panel. This report presents the review’s findings and recommendations for consideration by Cabinet Members.

1.2 The review included the following work:- - Financial Analysis - Performance Analysis - The Welsh Government’s annual assessments of Gwynedd’s quality and performance against the Welsh Public Library Standards Framework. - Analysis of the PLUS Opinion Polls through CIPFA (Service users’ views) - The results of the Gwynedd Residents Opinion Poll (Residents Panel). - A review of the national strategic context (mainly the launch of the Fifth Libraries Standards Framework and the direction of the Welsh Government’s Strategic Framework for Libraries “Libraries Inspire”).

1.3 The main findings of the Review were the need to adopt a new Strategic Direction for the Library Service and to consider a shift to a new provision model in order to realise this Strategy. 1.4 The Review had identified that it was impossible to maintain the Library Service’s existing provision, mainly due to the scarce capacity to address the change in the service’s usage pattern, arising from very low staffing levels.

2. “More than Books” Strategy 2.1 Based on the review, the Service has developed a strategic direction for Gwynedd’s library service, named “More than Books”. The Library Service has considered the requirements of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964; the National Standards Framework for Libraries; the financial context and the review's findings for shaping the strategy and the options for provision models.

2.2 The strategy provides a vision and objectives for the service, and suggests four priority areas for action: developing digital skills, access to information, promoting health and well-being and promoting reading.

2.3 In addition to the strategy, the service has considered a range of options for provision models in order to fulfil the strategy.

2.4 The strategy suggests a provision model for fulfilling the vision and its objectives. The provision model is based on maintaining:- 9 Main Libraries A Community Mobile Library A Home Library Service A Mobile Library for Children and Young People

3. “More than Books” Public Consultation 3.1 Between May and July 2015 a public consultation was held to ascertain the views of the public on the “More than Books” Strategy. An external company was appointed to undertake the consultation.

3.2 A report on the public consultation is attached at Appendix 1.

3.3 In response to the vision, objectives and priority areas identified in the strategy, the consultation has highlighted that Gwynedd’s residents consider that promoting the health and well-being of individuals and communities is one of the key purposes of the service and its libraries. The consultants also reiterate this view, by noting the contribution of libraries towards achieving the aims of the Well-being of Future Generations Act. The report recommends that the vision and objectives should be modified to fully recognise the important functions performed by library buildings beyond the provision of books and information.

3.4 In response to the provision models noted in the strategy (2.4 above), the consultation has shown that Service users in general are opposed to the proposals to change the provision. In its conclusion, the report notes that “it is no longer financially sustainable for Gwynedd Library Service to continue to maintain a range of buildings for library purposes only…This is the case despite continuous pleas by users for the Council to retain library buildings....”

3.5 The consultants noted in their conclusions that the Council should adopt a provision model that attracts users to visit the main libraries (defined in the report as libraries that open for at least 20 hours); visits to authority-led community libraries (defined by Welsh Government guidance); visits by mobile libraries; access to the online library service.

3.6 The report recommends that the Council should consider offering an “Authority-led Community Library Service” in the 8 libraries which are open for fewer than 20 hours per week, in addition to the option presented for consultation. No detailed discussions on alternative methods of library service provision have been held with the communities.

3.7 The report recognises that communities have varying capacities, capabilities and desires to become involved and shoulder responsibilities as defined for authority-led community managed Libraries.

3.9 During the consultation, some communities proposed alternative options to the one outlined in 2.4 above. For example, some communities were of the view that the Council should maintain the network of 17 libraries as it stands, but that the hours should be reduced across the whole network to find savings; there were also proposals to discuss the community library model in each of the current libraries, or only the main libraries; proposals to entirely abolish the mobile service to communities; and also proposals to raise income and increase library fees. In creating the option which was submitted for consultation, the Library Service has considered a range of options, has assessed them against the National Standards and the delivery of the “More than Books” strategy, and their capacity to deal with a diminishing budget.

3.10 In addition, the report notes a series of recommendations in relation to marketing and communication, planning and provision of activities, recruitment and use of volunteers to support the change to a new provision model. A number of these recommendations emphasise what had already been identified in the findings of the initial review. Due to this, a number of them have already been implemented within the service, within the resources that are currently available.

3.11 The report and the feedback from the consultation have been used to update the strategy’s equality impact assessment. The main issues relating to equality are noted below: - The impact on women and in particular older women who are service users. - The impact on Older People is more evident than any other age group, and is more apparent in some communities (, Cricieth, , ). -The impact on communities of Welsh speakers (and learners) especially those communities who are experiencing the decline in the % of Welsh speakers to under the 70% threshold as a viable linguistic community (, Penisarwaun, and Morfa ) - The impact on disabled people would be more evident in particular communities if there was a change (). - The impact on multiple deprivation in some communities (Talysarn, Deiniolen, and Clynnog). -The impact on young people and families who are unable to travel to the main libraries (cost and public transport difficulties).

3.12 The impact assessment notes that changing to a new provision model based on maintaining fewer libraries could have a detrimental impact on some groups of people in some communities.

3.13 It should be noted that negative impacts on the protected groups have not been identified in all communities (as is noted in the summary in 3.11 above). In the same manner, some extremely positive impacts have been identified in some communities, through the evidence that came to hand during the consultation. It should be noted that some of the identified impacts could be mitigated in specific communities through alternative measures, such as community links, collection points, adaptation of the mobile service stops, registering qualifying individuals for the home library service, and/or promoting the online services.

3.14 Due to the factors which became evident when updating the impact assessment, further work is required on the strategy and provision model, in particular to ensure that it addresses the needs of individual communities and identifies specific mitigation measures for the groups affected in those communities, prior to its implementation.

3.15 The feedback during the consultation from users in the affected communities (if the proposed provision model was implemented) notes the social and economic impacts on their communities. There was a strong view that the strategy contributed towards: - a culture of urbanisation at the expense of rural communities; - loss of services in villages; - the decline of the high street; - loss of community facilities; - exacerbation of social isolation; - weakening of the social inclusion of some vulnerable groups (older people and families with young children).

4. Conclusions 4.1 Following receipt of the consultation report, and an update of the equality impact assessment, the Library Service will need to consider and scrutinise the recommendations and evidence received in more detail.

4.2 The increasing pressures of continual cuts means that must find savings to the value of approximately £7milllion. The Council, through the Gwynedd Challenge process, is currently asking the county’s residents for their views on which local services should be retained and which services should be cut. The Gwynedd Challenge will be an opportunity for the county’s residents to voice their opinions on safeguarding library services and to prioritise them within a wider package of services. The outcomes of the Gwynedd Challenge and the priorities of Gwynedd’s residents should be considered before moving forward with the development of the Library Service’s “More than Books” Strategy and a provision model to deliver this strategy.

4.3 In addition, without assurance on the budget for the Library Service in future, we cannot move forward to develop the Strategy.

4.4 It is recommended that the final decision on Gwynedd’s Library Service Strategy should be deferred until after the Gwynedd Challenge.

Reasons for recommending the decision The Service cannot move forward to review the strategy and to develop a provision model as we are currently in the middle of the Gwynedd Challenge consultation, and its outcomes will influence the strategy, and in particular the resources which are available to deliver it.

Relevant considerations

Financial Context

The increasing pressures of continual cuts mean that Gwynedd Council must find savings to the value of approximately £7milllion. The Council, through the Gwynedd Challenge process, is currently asking the county’s residents for their views on which local services should be retained and which services should be cut. The Gwynedd Challenge will be an opportunity for the county’s residents to voice their opinions on safeguarding library services and to prioritise them within a wider package of services.

There has been no decision on the level of budget available to the Library Service in future.

The “More than Books” Strategy provides a strategic direction for the future of the library service. A core part of this strategy is the provision of a comprehensive and effective service, in accordance with the National Standards which interpret the statutory requirements for the authority. Delivering the Strategy and Provision Model as outlined above in section 2 would have led to efficiency savings of £169,000 (as reported to Cabinet on 16/12/14). Following the public consultation, implementing the consultation report’s recommendations would lead to efficiency savings of £75,000. However, we will revisit the Service’s efficiency savings when undertaking the further work on the Strategy and Provision Model following analysis of the consultation report, the impact assessment and the outcomes of the Gwynedd Challenge.

Equality See 3.11 and 3.12 above.

Next steps and timetable Gwynedd Council will make decisions on which services will be cut, following the Gwynedd Challenge process, early in 2016.

The Library Service will subsequently continue with the analysis and further work on the Strategy and the provision model, with the intention of submitting a business case to the Cabinet in mid-2016.

Views of the statutory officers

The Chief Executive: “The recommendation in the paper is sensible as it enables the decision on the future of the Library Service to be made in the context of other key decisions that the Council will make about all its services. I support the recommendations”

The Monitoring Officer: “The report recognises that the possible impact of the Gwynedd Challenge on the Service’s resources is key in reaching a decision. As a consultation process has been undertaken as part of the development of a new strategy, and as further work is required on matters such as the outcome of the equality assessment, the recommendation is appropriate at this point. The path to reaching a decision will need to be reviewed when there is further clarity on the situation.

The Head of Finance Department: “As a contribution towards the Economy and Community Department’s efficiency savings target, a plan to “Re-model the Library Service”, worth £169,000, was submitted. At the Cabinet’s meeting on 16 December 2014, it was agreed to postpone the implementation of this plan, and a departmental consultation was held with the outcome proposing a reduced saving (£75,000) through "community models". The 2015/16 budget is not dependent upon realising these savings, but the financial strategy for 2015/16 - 2017/18 anticipated a contribution from the Library Service towards further efficiency savings.

The ongoing “Gwynedd Challenge” consultation is now considering further savings / cuts to the Library Service. It is therefore logical for the Cabinet to consider the future of the Library Service, and all the relevant savings / cuts, as part of its decisions on cuts following the “Gwynedd Challenge” (in the cycle which will culminate in the meeting of the Full Council on 3 March 2016).”

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Consultation Report by Sian Shakespear Associates.