Comments on: Cuts in hours hurts usage too

By: trevor craig

trevor craig — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:40:29 +0000

Of course not and I don’t pretend there aren’t difficult choices ahead. Libraries are however a statutory service and we are going to struggle to grow our economy in the next 10-15 years with poor literacy levels and the minds of our young lacking imagination. Councils are going to have to start collaborating properly, most non-customer facing functions are duplicated in every county, district and city up and down the country and it is massively inefficient. This level of duplication is only tolerated in the public sector. Privatising services and provision doesn’t suddenly make councils efficient, the whole thing needs redesigning from scratch, the geographical restrictions on how councils function need to be looked at in this modern digital age.

By: Questioning assumptions

Questioning assumptions — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:54:54 +0000

No doubt there are inefficiencies in local government that need to be driven out as there are in any organistion – and you are right to highlight some of those that exist in Oxfordshire (which may or may not be representative of every council in the country – I suspect, and indeed I know, it is not).

But do you think that the inefficiences you suggest could deal with the 28% cut that local government has had in the current spending round, the at least 15% that is to be expected in the coming spending round, and the impact of inflation?

If not, then we are dealing with a question of what we cut and what we leave alone.

By: trevor craig

trevor craig — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:05:58 +0000

There are ways if saving money within libraries and councils but sadly the councillors are tied into ideological clap trap and the officers protecting their little empires at the cost of services. The LGA should be cut for a start, all they do is lobby and moan about how efficient councils are, they are only efficient compared to the rest of the public sector. If the councilors and officers were put in charge of a real billion pound business it would be bankrupt within 6 months. There are plenty of examples on my blog of councils protecting inefficiencies at the cost of front line services:

http://questioneverythingtheytellyou.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/what-would-you-cut.html

http://questioneverythingtheytellyou.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/what-would-you-cut-40.html

http://questioneverythingtheytellyou.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/what-would-you-cut-20.html

http://questioneverythingtheytellyou.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/aftermaths-epic-failure-of-epic.html

Sadly councils lack any checks any balances, supine officers and professional politicians who have all their real debates behind closed doors and most of their schemes are a waste of time and money. Its no wonder 70% of us don’t bother to vote.

By: Questioning Assumptions

Questioning Assumptions — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:18:13 +0000

So, if the government won’t reverse its policy of funding cuts (and neither will any possible other alternative government, sadly, see the opposition’s policy) then there is going to be less funding for public services, and, inevitably, less funding for public libraries.

So, if privatisation and volunteer run libraries are out as reactions to this in the opinion of library campaigners, it seems that reductions in hours are too. So, without a chance of government reversing overall cuts in expenditure, what do library campaigners think SHOULD be cut?

Hours, branches, librarians, stock?

Or is there an alternative? If there is it needs to be said. Just saying they are a good thing and must be saved is NOT enough.

What is the alternative?

Can we identify another source of income to make up for the 28% cuts in public funding, or can we find another public service that should be hit hard to allow cuts not to be made to libraries?

Or can we persuade the government to reverse the cuts for ALL public services?

Given the level of cuts, just saying libraries are a good thing and *must* be saved is no argument at all.

We need alternatives, we need answers. I don’t know what they are, but do contributors to this blog?