Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Culture, Strategy, and Engagement. To be introduced by the Cabinet for Culture and Leisure.

Following public consultation on different options, this report contains proposals to modify library opening hours across the borough.

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure introduced the report which set out the results of the public consultation around different options proposed to vary the operating hours of the borough’s libraries and recommended an in-principle decision to adopt revised Option 3, subject to consultation with affected staff, as the best option for the Council to continue to deliver a comprehensive and efficient library service within its reduced budget envelope.

The Cabinet Member spoke of the protection and support of libraries and highlighted that in recent years the Council had invested nearly £5m to upgrade and make branch libraries accessible. She also highlighted that the borough had some of the longest library hours in London in recent years. Unfortunately, due to the ever-increasing costs of adult and children’s social care and the housing crisis which had pushed many residents into temporary accommodation, the point had been reached now where it was no longer sustainable to maintain such long hours, especially at times of the day when there were not many people coming into libraries.

In August, the Council launched a public consultation which ran to mid-October. The consultation focused on proposed adjustments to operating hours. This process was collaborative and evidence-based, looking both at library footfall analysis and feedback from residents, the Friends of Reading & Education (FORE) and other community groups.

It was noted that arising from the consultation there was a strong preference from residents and library users to maintain lunchtime openings, create more consistent hours and prioritise Sunday and evening opening times. A key change emphasised was that the Council would be keeping both Hornsey and Marcus Garvey library open on Sundays. The Cabinet Member expressed that the Council wanted to keep as much library space open as possible, especially for children and young people studying.

The Council had listened during the engagement process and were now proposing changes to the proposed schedule of opening hours which was contained in the paper.

Going forward, the Council were committed to developing a strategic plan to ensure libraries remain sustainable and fit for the future. This would include modernising library services, exploring more income generation opportunities and adapting to the evolving needs of our communities – particularly in the post-pandemic landscape. The Council were especially focused on engaging the next generation of library users.

It was noted that to reduce the day-to-day staff costs of libraries by reducing hours for now, preserved the investment in library buildings in recent years and reflected the value given to them as public assets.

The following information was provided in response to questions from Cllr Ovat, Cllr Gordon, Cllr Hakata, Cllr Brabazon, Cllr Brennan and Cllr Cawley- Harrison.

-       The Council had carried out a detailed equality impact assessment as the needs of residents who lived closest to Highgate Library in the west of the borough were very different from those who relied on the Coombs Croft Library in the east of the borough. The Council had observed and worked within legal duties to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84