Agenda item

RESOLVED

That the Cabinetapproved Hackney’s Libraries Strategy 2022-2026 and the associated service transformation which includes the new vision, objectives and service model. 

Reason for decision

The new Libraries Strategy directly responds to the engagement with 8,450 residents, a Task and Finish Group of elected members, extensive consultation with library staff and strategic conversations with relevant cross-Council departments.

Feedback from the ‘Our Libraries’ public engagement campaign shows that residents want access to good quality reading materials and improved digital access to wifi, IT resources, information and study space, more flexible spaces for community use and better communication about what the library has to offer. While the provision of a wide range of books and digital access should remain at the core of the service, local people take the view that libraries must have a broad remit as community hubs for lifelong learning, arts and creativity and community health and wellbeing.

The strategy will drive the service forward as a strong collaborator - promoting inclusive, flexible and creative spaces across all libraries that will be utilised by residents as hubs for community wellbeing, cultural development and digital inclusion and will provide access to reading and lifelong learning opportunities. It will explore future options for extended opening hours and study spaces as well as capital investment to renovate and repair library buildings or, in the instance of Woodberry Down, to develop options for a new library provision.

The financial savings must be seen together with the service transformation and innovation required to deliver the ambitions of the new Libraries Strategy for this administration. The Library Strategy and the approved budget savings will only be achieved by a wholesale service transformation to redesign the service structure for staff and deliver the £250,000 savings approved as part of setting the budget in February 2022

Councillor Kennedy introduced the report.

The Mayor invited Councillor Garbett to speak on the item, and the following questions were raised: 

1. It was felt that the consultation was not fit for purpose as it did not set out the risk assessment of the proposals for fewer staff, or timetables, particularly for the holiday period.  It was questioned if these would be provided and for the consultation to continue?
2. It was questioned if transforming the services first, and then reviewing the staffing requirements, would be considered rather than doing these at the same time?

Councillor Kennedy responded to the questions, as set out below.

1. The engagement at the moment with all staff is ongoing.  In answer to the question that came through from the Unions tonight requesting that we stop the consultation, it would be entirely wrong to stop that consultation midway through it.  We’re actually doing what employment law requires for a restructure, which is talking to every member of staff, taking their views on the proposed restructure, and at the same time talking to the Unions.  Members of staff are able to have a Union rep with them, or a friend or colleague can go in with them to those 1:1 engagements.  You’re right there have been concerns about the risk assessments, and wanting to see the risk assessments, and for that reason I’ve just had confirmation today that the full risk assessments will be shared with the Unions next week, when the two members of staff doing the main work on this return from half term holidays. 
2. In terms of the worry about the staffing levels being too low, quite rightly the very excellent staff team working on this have benchmarked properly against staffing levels in statistically comparable London boroughs.  We are proposing running our 8 libraries on 59 full time employees.  A statistical comparator in the south of London runs 9 on 65 full time employees, and one just north of us runs 12 libraries on only 52 full time employees.  What we are proposing is not in any way different to the staffing levels that work in other inner London boroughs.  So I hope that provides you with some levels of assurance.  We’re not going to be an outlier.  In fact in many ways we’re going to move to be closer to the pack.  At the moment we spend considerably more per head on our library service than most other London boroughs.  So we’re moving back into the pack and those risk assessments will be shared with staff.  At the end of that engagement with all the staff, all those comments about “I’m not sure if this shift pattern works right for this library”, will be taken into account in the final structure that will be taken forward for the start of the next financial year.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinetapproved Hackney’s Libraries Strategy 2022-2026 and the associated service transformation which includes the new vision, objectives and service model. 

Reason for decision

The new Libraries Strategy directly responds to the engagement with 8,450 residents, a Task and Finish Group of elected members, extensive consultation with library staff and strategic conversations with relevant cross-Council departments.

Feedback from the ‘Our Libraries’ public engagement campaign shows that residents want access to good quality reading materials and improved digital access to wifi, IT resources, information and study space, more flexible spaces for community use and better communication about what the library has to offer. While the provision of a wide range of books and digital access should remain at the core of the service, local people take the view that libraries must have a broad remit as community hubs for lifelong learning, arts and creativity and community health and wellbeing.

The strategy will drive the service forward as a strong collaborator - promoting inclusive, flexible and creative spaces across all libraries that will be utilised by residents as hubs for community wellbeing, cultural development and digital inclusion and will provide access to reading and lifelong learning opportunities. It will explore future options for extended opening hours and study spaces as well as capital investment to renovate and repair library buildings or, in the instance of Woodberry Down, to develop options for a new library provision.

The financial savings must be seen together with the service transformation and innovation required to deliver the ambitions of the new Libraries Strategy for this administration. The Library Strategy and the approved budget savings will only be achieved by a wholesale service transformation to redesign the service structure for staff and deliver the £250,000 savings approved as part of setting the budget in February 2022