Agenda item

To receive a report by the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport that asks Members to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Community Services

1.            The Cabinet Member, Mr Hill, introduced a report that asked the Cabinet Committee to endorse the proposal for the council to undertake a customer engagement exercise with mobile library customers on proposed route efficiencies service improvements and changes as detailed in appendix A of the report.

2.            Mr Hill advised that the mobile library service had not been reviewed for a number of years and this review was timely as the LRA was faced with saving £1.3 million over the next three financial years.  He explained that the report identified that there had been a reduction in users of this service over many years.  The present arrangements were inconsistent.  He assured the Cabinet Committee that the proposals looked to make the service more consistent and efficient with those affected still having ways to access to a library service.

3.            The Head of Libraries, Registration and Archives, Mr Stephens, andthe Service Improvement Programme Manager, Mr Pearson, gave a brief overview of the report highlighting that if the decision was implemented following the consultation the service would retain 80% of the current visits through the proposed stops.  There would also be an annual review of the mobile library service.  There were currently 11 mobiles covering 657 locations.  Visitor numbers had dropped by 20% over the last three financial years. It was advised that of the 368 stops that received 2 or fewer users on average over the period October 14 - September 15 and it was proposed to withdraw those stops. Alternative ways to access a Library service for those affected would be offered eg Home Library service.  It was also proposed to change the days of the service from the existing Monday to Friday service to Tuesday to Saturday, move to a fortnightly schedule of stops and increase the minimum stop time to half an hour.  The customer engagement exercise was proposed to run from Friday, 22 January to Friday 4 March and users of the mobile library service would be contacted directly as well as the material being available on the KCC website and on the mobile libraries. The service would also be making district borough council aware as well as Parish and Town councils where there was an existing mobile stop. A full analysis of the engagement will be produced.

4.            Mr Stephens and Mr Pearson responded to comments and questions as follows:

a)    Mr Stephens advised that the LRA would need to establish criteria for taking the service forward for the future, for example to incorporate new housing estates as they are being developed.

b)    Mr Stephens agreed to provide figures in future reports as well as   percentages.

c)    Mr Stephens advised that there was a general decline nationally in the use of libraries and he was able to supply this data outside the meeting.

d)    Mr Stephens agreed to submit a comprehensive report on the future direction of Library, Registration and Archive services at a future meeting of this Cabinet Committee.

e)    Mr Pearson explained that the position of other authorities’ library services across the country had been looked at and there had been different approaches.  Many local authorities had taken the same view as KCC such as Derbyshire Worchester and Suffolk Councils to review the service against selection criteria.  Other local authorities had withdrawn the mobile library service such as Hampshire County Council which was currently consulting on such a proposal.  Mr Pearson considered that in terms of use of the service beyond books that the LRA was seeing an increase in loans of e-books and e-audio books and the use of the website but a lot of the Library service was used for browsing therefore the visitor was a critical figure.  The mobile service was limited as it did not have IT connections.

f)     Mr Pearson explained that two of the mobile libraries carried new branding on the sides of the mobile promoting the mobile library service and the six ways to wellbeing campaign.  These were established in conjunction with public health.  He considered that branding could be looked at to refresh the fleet of mobile vehicles.

g)    Mr Pearson said that in terms of engaging schools with the mobile service, this was a community service and the stock of children’s books in a mobile library was limited.  The future library service offer to schools needed to be considered as these is a key audience

h)   A comment was made that the library services for the visually impaired was very good and this should be advertised.   

5.            RESOLVED that:-

a)    the responses to questions by Members be noted; and

b)    the Growth, Environment and Communities Cabinet Committee endorsed the decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Community Services to undertake a customer engagement exercise with mobile library customers on proposed route efficiencies service improvements and changes as detailed in appendix A of the report.