Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Library Transformation Strategy and Reduction Proposals Summary of Impact on Physical Provision Libraries are a statutory service but it is up to local communities to determine how that service is delivered and how it should be shaped. The financial pressures on the Council are now greater than ever and very difficult decisions must be made for the council to deliver a balanced budget, which it is required to do by law. The council is introducing a more radical and transformational approach to providing local services to deal with pressures on resources, increasing demands for social care and changing expectations from local communities. The Library Service is required to achieve a saving of £292,000 in 2022/23, having made several efficiency savings in recent years. The Library Transformation Strategy was developed to mitigate the impact of these savings. The strategy paper details how the service might realise these savings while delivering a comprehensive low-cost library service. What is the current physical Library Service offer, as agreed by Cabinet in January 2021? • Two large Town Centre Libraries – one in Maidenhead and one in Windsor • A medium sized library in Ascot • Three public / school libraries in Cookham, Cox Green and Dedworth • 5 Community libraries in Boyn Grove, Datchet, Eton Wick, Old Windsor and Sunninghill • A Container Library that visits Furze Platt, Wraysbury, Holyport and Sunningdale weekly • A Mobile Library vehicle that travels around the borough on a three-week timetable with multiple short visits every weekday to private homes, residential care homes, primary schools and nurseries. A Library Opening Hours Consultation took place in October-November 2020. Prior to this consultation the service delivered 475.5 hours per week across 18 locations. Eton Library and Woodlands Park Container were identified for closure as part of that initial consultation. Cabinet agreed in January 2021 to remove those two locations and reduce the Library offer by 143.5 hours per week to 332 hours across 16 locations. Further additional savings now require new proposals. These new proposals include removing three more Container sites, closing four community libraries, reducing opening hours to 13 hours per week at the remaining Community Library locations and reducing hours further at Windsor and Maidenhead libraries. The total number of opening hours will be reduced by a further 116 hours per week to 216 hours per week. Pre-Pandemic June 2021 Sept 2021 Total reduction Total opening 475.5 332 216 259.5 hours Total sites / 18 16 9 9 libraries The Library Transformation Strategy provides an overview of usage levels and the range of services delivered by libraries prior to lockdown and during the pandemic. It also describes the proposed direction of travel for the service moving forward which encompasses: • The Library Service’s role in Economic Recovery, Business Support, Training and Skills Development • The Library Service’s Green Agenda • Place Shaping and Library Design • Digital Technology such as Wi-Fi printing, a Library App and a digital library card • Loaning of digital devices such as tablets, with training and support • Use of library spaces during and outside of opening hours for cultural activities, educational services, health and wellbeing events, community support and volunteering opportunities. What is the new physical offer if the savings proposed are agreed by Cabinet after the consultation process? • Two Large Town Centre Libraries – one in Maidenhead and one in Windsor, with a reduction of nine opening hours per week in total across both locations • A medium sized library in Ascot • Three dual-use public / school libraries in Cookham, Cox Green and Dedworth open for 13 hours per week • 1 Community library in Eton Wick open for 13 hours per week • A Container Library that is positioned in one location (to be established) open for 6 hours per week. • A mobile library vehicle that travels the borough on a three-week timetable, with multiple short visits every weekday to private homes, residential care homes, primary schools, and nurseries. It is essential that residents, stakeholders, service users and partners consider the proposals and have their say. Please share your views on the Library Transformation Strategy here: Library consultations | Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (rbwm.gov.uk) Three public engagement sessions will be held in March: 1 March 2021 10-11.30am 11 March 2021 6-7.30pm 17 March 2021 2-3.30pm Please register via this link https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/council-and- democracy/consultations/library-consultations If you are unable to access the consultation online but would like to participate, a member of staff will assist you. Call us on 01628 796969 or 01753 743940. Alternatively you can email [email protected] or write to us at: Angela Huisman, Maidenhead Library, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, SL6 1QU Library Pre-Pandemic From June 2021 Proposed from Sept 2021 Total Reduction Ascot Durning Library 45 hours 35 hours 35 hours 10 Boyn Grove Library 30 hours 18 hours Closed 30 Container Library 45 hours 31 hours 6 hours 39 Cookham Library 26 hours 20 hours 13 hours 13 Cox Green Library 29.5 hours 25 hours 13 hours 16.5 Datchet Library 26 hours 17 hours Closed 26 Dedworth Library 36.5 hours 23 hours 13 hours 23.5 Eton Library 17 hours Closed Closed 17 Eton Wick Library 26 hours 17 hours 13 hours 13 Maidenhead Library 60 hours 51 hours 46 hours 14 Mobile Library 35 hours 35 hours 35 hours 0 Old Windsor Library 20 hours 14 hours Closed 20 Sunninghill Library 26 hours 20 hours Closed 26 Windsor Library 53.5 hours 46 hours 42 hours 11.5 Total 475.5 332 216 259.5 .