Oversight “never the role” of Arts Council England
A key plank of the CMS Report is in doubt due to the reduction in dedicated library staff in Arts Council England and what appears to be a misunderstanding about its role. In an official response to Public Libraries News from the Arts Council, it is stated that the number of specialists will be reduced from the current nine to just five for the whole of England. This is due to the cuts in funding already noted by this blog a few days ago.
The recommendation from the Report that these specialists could inform the DCMS of problem areas is denied by the Arts Council which says “this was never in the role” of the posts and that “it is not the Arts Council’s role to report back to the DCMS on whether a library services meets the statutory requirements of the 1964 Act.”.
This is the Arts Council saying it is politely refusing, under its current remit, the Committee’s suggestion that it should be the Government’s watchdog. This is quite right. That responsibility clearly lies with the Minister and his department. If Ed Vaizey wishes to abdicate his responsibilities in this field then he should make clear it has done so. If he wants to pass on its duties to ACE then it should gain agreement from ACE for it. As importantly, he should also sufficiently fund it. Five staff for the whole country is just not going to do.
More worryingly, being the MLA had a supervisory function and it is now official the ACE does not, it is clear that no-one has had this role for a while at one of the most crucial times for libraries in history. The ministers in charge should learn that leadership in this field is urgently needed and does not come from delegating to overworked and underfunded organisations who’s job it never was in the first place.
“The reduction of staff numbers is unavoidable in the context of the reductions in our administrative costs, but we have retained expertise for libraries both in areas and nationally. In the new organisation structure, we will be moving from nine Library Relationship Managers currently based in each of our regional offices, to one Library Relationship Manager for each of the five new areas. We will also have a national director with libraries specialism, who will lead on national strategy for libraries, working closely with the Library Relationship Managers.
The CMS Report recommends that the role of Relationship Managers can be extended to feed information to DCMS on potential problem areas. This was never in the role of the Relationship Manager. The role of Relationship Managers is to collate knowledge and information on arts and cultural activity in the region, and note and develop innovation and areas of interest. The reason for this is because it is not the Arts Council’s role to report back to the DCMS on whether a library services meets the statutory requirements of the 1964 Act.” Arts Council England via email.
Another development concerns Trusts. County Durham have decided to look once more at outsourcing libraries to a Trust as it saves money, even though a Government review is likely to halve the amount any day now.
Reactions to the Select Committee
- Community run libraries could “wither on the vine” say MPs – This is Gloucestershire. “ibraries threaten to “wither on the vine” unless they continue to receive council support, an influential group of MPs has warned. Members of the Commons Culture Select Committee said this would be seen as “closures by stealth”. Under scaled back cuts drawn up by Gloucestershire County Council in the wake of a High Court ruling, the authority will continue to run 31 libraries but seven will lose funding and be run by local communities.”
- Last page for libraries? – Telegraph. “Over the last three years a pitched battle has been fought between English councils keen on streamlining their library service – basically closing small ones to support shiny large ones – and anti-cuts campaigners such as Alan Bennett, who with uncharacteristic overstatement compared library closures to “child abuse” … “In 1980 there were 650 million books taken out; that number has now halved. ” … “The people who run our services don’t seem to think that if fewer people are going to libraries it might be time to make them better. Obsessed by the supply-and-demand model, for councils footfall is the bottom line. The Big Society model of local people taking control is promising – this has already happened at the Keats Library in Hampstead and at Primrose Hill – but has yet to be proved in less well-heeled neighbourhoods.” … “We have to use them. When asked, 90 per cent of people say that want a proper library service but to give real ammunition to campaigners they need to turn up.”
“The coalition’s cuts are robbing local communities and generations of children of the vital services that a vibrant local library can bring. In the current economic environment – where hard pressed families are struggling to make ends meet – the services that a library provides are more important than ever before. “This report, quite rightly, identifies the value of libraries beyond just book-borrowing, pointing out their role within communities in terms of literacy and providing a broader range of often unrecognised services. “But our local library service is facing a grim future of cuts and closures with local people paying the price for bad decisions made by councils. Some councils are even leaving themselves open to costly legal challenges, which would be a scandalous waste of public money. “UNISON is deeply concerned that Arts Council England, also facing cuts, will not be able to effectively advocate on behalf of libraries. The government has to step in before it is too late.” Dave Prentis, General Secretary, Unison
- Libraries plan could go national – This is Plymouth. “Plymouth’s co-operation with Cornwall, Devon and Torbay, centred on making “back-office” savings, was highlighted by members of the Commons Culture Select Committee. And while evidence submitted to the committee revealed the project was not without its problems in the face of financial difficulties and budget cuts, including not achieving its original savings target, it was maintained the “Future Libraries Programme” did realise efficiencies and help shore up the service.”
- Missed opportunity – BookSeller / Desmond Clarke. Select Committee report fails to give guidance or name names of those who have failed. No evidence of leadership or of a move towards a libraries development agency. The report will do nothing to deter councils from closing libraries and by allowing a two year until a DCMS report fails to give any sense of urgency.
“The millions of people who rely on libraries deserved a much stronger report which reflected their real concerns and needs. Most importantly, public libraries need leadership, rather than endless reports and studies which merely serve to kick the matter, once again, into the long grass.”
- Praise for Westcountry libraries working together to save money – This is Cornwall. “Cross-border collaboration on libraries in Devon and Cornwall could provide a future template for the cash-strapped service nationwide, say MPs.”
- Statement – Arts Council England. Pleases that Committee recognises the work of the Arts Council an the research it is undertaking. “Through this research and working with partners, we will develop a long-term vision and framework for public libraries in England, which will support many of the CMS Committee’s recommendations. We will be publishing the research recommendations from Envisioning the library of the future in January 2013 on the Arts Council website. We also welcome the CMS Committee’s recommendation that we work with partners including CILIP, DCMS and the LGA. Since assuming responsibility for libraries in October 2011 from the MLA, we believe we have built excellent relationships with key library stakeholders and look forward to working increasingly closer with them in the future.”
- What is the public library service worth? – Good Library Blog / Tim Coates. “I believe deeply in the importance of public libraries. But I don’t think they are worth the money we pay for them. ” … “the truth is the public library service in England costs almost the same as the entire trade publishing industry costs – about £900m per annum . It is a huge amount.The library service in London alone costs £200m per annum and that is a lot of money.” Only 5% is spent on books … “over 300 million books each year are borrowed from UK libraries – and that is a great deal more than the number of books read from book shops. So there is a massive need and demand– but not at any price. “
Other News
Andy McNab at Six Book Challenge event in Liverpol – he’s the one hiding his face.
“Bestselling novelist and former SAS soldier Andy NcNab thrilled workers at Merseytravel in Liverpool today (5 November 2012) when he visited them to sign copies of his latest book Red Notice, and celebrate their workplace learning success in winning the UK prize draw for workplaces participating in the Six Book Challenge.” (Press release from The Reading Agency).
- Public service – Golden Twits. 3 of the 8 entrants are libraries. My advice? Vote Orkney. They like kittens. Oh, and they have 7316 followers. That’s more than a third of the population of the Orkneys, although many are doubtless national and even worldwide.
- Speak Up for Libraries conference this week – False Economy. “After the success of the a parliamentary lobby day in March, there’s a tremendous groundswell of support for our local libraries. Through this conference, organisers hope to inspire even more people to Speak Up For Libraries to safeguard them for generations to come.”
- Ten reasons why I love my library – Guardian. Pupil says why he loves his school library.
Changes
Local News
- Brent – Barham Library campaigners in appeal to community – Brent and Kilburn Times. “A community library in Wembley striving to raise £25,000 to occupy their former home have urged local business and residents to help them on their way. Members of the Friends of Barham Library (FOBL) have already raised £2,500 towards their target,” … “Our small but loyal army of volunteers has made our volunteer library a success already. We have repaired and brought back into use an empty shop in Wembley High Road and provide a valuable library and 2nd hand bookshop service to local people. The Library has established itself as an important feature in the High Road just a few hundred meters from Wembley National Stadium. We have shown that a bunch of volunteers can do this with limited resources but great deal of will power.”
- Kensal Rise Library campaigners write an open letter to All Souls College – Brent and Kilburn Times. “Angry campaigners, who were told that a Victorian building they wished to run a community library from would be turned into flats by their millionaire Oxford College owners, have written an open letter urging them to reconsider and will be taking their fight to the streets. “
- Croydon/Wandsworth – Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) win Croydon/Wandsworth contract – Stop the privatisation of public libraries. “I’ve just been informed that Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) have won the Croydon/Wandsworth Libraries contract, the other 2 shortlisted bidders where John Laing Integrated Services (JLIS) and most importantly the inhouse Wandsworth bid from South London Library & Cultural Services (SLLCS), the preferred choice of the unions and current staff. The contract is worth £8.76m (?) and is initially for 8yrs with a possible further 8yr extension. GLL already manage Greenwich Libraries on a 15yr contract which they where awarded earlier this year despite much protest from the UNITE union, campaigners and library users.”
- Library cards and flip flops: Croydon hands £8.5m deal to GLL – Inside Croydon. “For many of Greenwich Leisure’s staff, flip flops are mandatory daily work wear: flip flop also being the perfect word for the ever-changing position of Croydon Council as they have sought to justify the running down, closing down and privatisation of the borough’s public libraries.” … “There has been no official confirmation of the appointment from Croydon or Wandsworth following a bidding process that has run for most of this year and cost Croydon Council Tax-payers more than £100,000.” … ““Not-for-profit” simply means that once they have paid off all their costs, anything left over can then be reinvested. But that leaves massive scope for “managing” the costs before unveiling any surplus. In the past year, for instance, some of GLL’s “costs” included paying for trackside advertising boards at a series of televised athletics meetings.”
- Dorset – Lyme Regis: Is the library still under threat? – View Online. Fears that library, under threat last year but now “safe” could be under threat again in 2014. Council says “““The county council is in informal discussions with LRDT about the feasibility of co-locating the library and LymeNet in Lyme Regis, to provide an enhanced and co-ordinated service for the benefit of the local community. “
- Durham – Leisure centres and libraries in County Durham could be “outsourced” – Northern Echo. “plans to outsource taxpayer-owned theatres, museums, libraries and leisure centres are being resurrected, although with much lower savings than originally hoped. Durham County Council chiefs had calculated placing dozens of leisure and culture assets into a not-for-profit charitable trust would save at least £1m a year in business rates and VAT, as well as opening up new funding opportunities. “
“Council chiefs believe the Government review will halve the amount of money the trust plan would save in business rates, from £888,000 to £444,000. However, with other benefits, they believe the change could nevertheless deliver annual savings of around £866,000.”
- Gloucestershire – GCC mobile library service shambles: what is going on? – Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries. “Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries received a rather worrying email about a partially sighted elderly gentleman who was in tears because the mobile library has been stopped to his village. The email came from his concerned neighbour and friend. We are told that the only notice given of the halted service was a notice on the library bus on its last visit to the village. The people who did not visit the bus that day would have missed the notice. When the people who did see the notice asked the librarian what was happening to the service in the future, and what alternatives there would be available, the librarian said she did not know.”. A notice had been put up but “says current mobile customers have been contacted. One lady here who has been regular user for 45 years has not been contacted neither have I, a user for a mere 40 years“.
“We fear that in the drive to get the “community libraries” up and running mobile library users have been overlooked. Are Gloucestershire’s few remaining librarians so busy training volunteers for “community run libraries” that the rest of the service is being abandoned?”
- Northamptonshire – Moving Wootton Fields Library in Northampton will cost more than £300, 000 – Northampton Chronicle. “More than £300,000 will be spent by the county council this year to cancel a PFI contract which covered the cost of running a library in Northampton until 2030. In 2005, a 25-year PFI deal was signed to combine the public library for Wootton with the school library at Caroline Chisholm School. Together the libraries are jointly known as Wootton Fields Library.”
- Sefton – Public urged to have their say in libraries consultation – Champion. “Cabinet members previously agreed to launch further consultation on proposals which would see only six main libraries remain in place to serve the borough, in the main towns including Bootle, Crosby, Formby, Maghull and Southport as well as a ‘co-located’ library in the new Netherton Activity Centre leisure facility. No final decision to close any libraries has been made at this stage, so residents are being strongly erged to have their say on the draft proposals and a range of mitigating measures as well as potential new ways of delivering the service.”
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about 12 years ago
MLA never had an oversight function. That it did is a myth.
about 12 years ago
It’s a myth that Ed Vaizey appears to believe. He stated in Parliament “A £6 million fund has been provided by the Arts Council, which is now responsible for superintending and promoting the library service.” : Hansard – 12th September 2012.
about 12 years ago
MYTH ??
On 18th November 2010 I received this via e-mail from Roy Clare, CE of the MLA. It certainly implies that the MLA had an “oversight” function :
Hello, Shirley, yes happy for you to circulate.
Wirral’s key features were a “perfect storm” of the following factors:
#. Stated intention for large numbers of closures
#. Driven by asset-review, not social outcomes
#. Ineffective consultation with public (and staff) *
#. Potential of library services not well recognised *
#. No workable strategy for service improvement *
#. ‘Good Practice’ elsewhere not being considered
It was the combination that led us to consider appealing to Secretary of State.
In our view one or two of these factors on their own would not be sufficient grounds to cry ‘foul’. Each is important, but those marked * are fundamental.
Hope that helps?
Roy
Roy Clare CBE
CEO, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
http://www.mla.gov.uk
+44 (0) 207 273 1476/9
Via Blackberry
about 12 years ago
Now tell me MLA did not have an “oversight” role (whoever you are)
Here is more, to refute the “MYTH” suggestion :
9th November 2010
Shirley,
By all means pass on the quotes we have obtained from Richmond. But if possible please keep my personal observations private.
Many thanks,
Roy
Roy Clare CBE
CEO, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
http://www.mla.gov.uk
+44 (0) 207 273 1476/9
Via Blackberry
From: Shirley Burnham
To: Roy Clare
Sent: Tue Nov 09 07:46:40 2010
Subject: RE: “It’s a given”
Many thanks, Roy. I am most grateful for your trouble.
It is very good, now, that you have woken Richmond up to the fact that you are watching them. Perhaps it will concentrate their minds.
Would you be happy for me to pass your response on ?
Although you have been adamant that buildings are not a big issue, they “are” a huge issue for those who reallly value a special venue for their library and know that once it has gone, that’s that. The public are not daft : they know that it is the thin end of the wedge.
I hope you will give residents all the support you can.
As for me, I’m fine and still being a pain in the proverbials as much as I can, to save as much as we can of what we have.
Best wishes:
Shirley
> Subject: Re: “It’s a given”
> Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2010 06:58:50 +0000
> From: roy.clare@mla.gov.uk
> To: saveoldtownlibrary@live.co.uk
>
> Shirley, good morning.
>
> Initial enquiries have elicited the response below. We will speak to them during the week for more information. The crucial part of their service review would seem to be what alternative models they might be proposing and that isn’t clear at this stage.
>
> Quote
> “Richmond upon Thames Council is currently carrying out public consultation on the future shape of the library service in the borough. The closing date for responses is 26 November 2010.
>
> “The responses will inform the Council’s proposals to review the library service in the light of the difficult financial circumstances currently faced by all local authorities. Further public consultation on any proposals to transform the service – including any proposals for reductions in service – will take place from January 2011.
>
> “However, the Council has made the early decision not to progress with the temporary replacement of one part-time community library (at an approximate cost of £400,000) until after the public consultation and resulting service review are completed. (In 2008 the Council agreed to sell the land on which the library is sited to enable the development of a new health centre for the area and to build a temporary library on the site of a local primary school).
>
> “The Council’s proposal is currently to not replace the library with a permanent library building but, as part of its service review, to examine alternative options for the provision of library services in this area.”
> Unquote
>
> I think we would agree that this is a bit-of-this and a-bit-of-that. I’ll let you know what we learn later in the week.
>
> In their favour is that historically they have had a good reputation for managing cultural services.
>
> I hope you are keeping well.
>
> Roy
>
>
> Roy Clare CBE
> CEO, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
>
> http://www.mla.gov.uk
> +44 (0) 207 273 1476/9
> Via Blackberry
>
about 12 years ago
Unless the law gave them a role then it is a myth that they had it. Otherwise they had no power other than perhaps giving the Secretary of State some information every now and again.. The vague and confused 1964 law is badly drafted enough without adding any kind of role for a body acting on behalf of the Secretary of State other than ACL, which, of course, has been abolished.
about 12 years ago
It is my view, and I stick to it, that evidence suggests that in the past the Secretary of State instructed the MLA to maintain a ‘watching brief’ on his behalf. Having now trawled through over 200 e-mails received by me from the CE of MLA, Roy Clare, I quote a short extract from a longer mail here which would seem adequately to show that this is the case :
From:Roy Clare (roy.clare@mla.gov.uk)
Sent: 14 April 2009 07:12:04
To: Shirley Burnham (saveoldtownlibrary@live.co.uk)
Cc: Andrew Motion (andrew.motion@btinternet.com); Anne Snelgrove MP (snelgrovea@parliament.uk); bushs@parliament.uk; brownl@parliament.uk
“As we have demonstrated over the Wirral, we can also make recommendations to Ministers if we have reason to believe that a local authority is in breach of its statutory duties in relation to library services. To date, we have not made such a recommendation in respect of Swindon, but the option remains open. ”
I have forwarded the full e-mail to Ian Anstice for information – but have quoted only this portion of it here in case there a confidentiality issues with regard to Swindon. The fact is that, due to the MLA’s working with in Swindon, its Council was minded to extend the consultation process on Old Town Library. This eventually led to the Library not being closed, nor being manned by volunteers – but saved for the residents who are still happily using it today.
about 12 years ago
You seem to be (wilfully) missing the point. The email says “we can also make recommendations to ministers”. Well, so can I. And so can you. The minister is not compelled to pay them any heed at all under law and there never was any formal role for this now defunct body. The only body with any role here was ACL. Which has been abolished.
about 12 years ago
I was (wilfully) misled by the MLA, then? And the ACL was abolished. So the “point” is that no-one now officially informs the Minister or Secretary of State except Joe Blogs or Jane Blogs whose mails are dumped in the bin; the Minister could not care less and the Library Service collapses. Wonderful.
about 12 years ago
Ian, could you or Mr/Ms Revisit history please tell me how the *statutory* Advisory Council on Libraries (ACL) was abolished.
Was the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964 amended to reflect is abolition and, if so, when? Where is the information to be found ?
There is a *Bookseller* Blog about the ACL written in June 2009, under the title ‘Don’t throw out the ACL’. I can find nothing more recent.
I ask this in good faith. Thank you.
about 12 years ago
The Act is fatally flawed in most regards. it is an out of date piece of legislation that requires authorities only to provide a “comprehensive and efficient” service without ever specifying what that actually means. Some governments have tried to define this with, for example, public library service standards, but these never keep anyone happy as someone will always dislike some part of what they recommend. Thus we bumble along, never quite knowing what level of service should be provided, and even if we could, what was appropriate in 1964 would be very unlikely to be appropriate now.
The Act, in this regard, is a failure. Witness every libraries court case in recent years being brought under equalities legislation. Not the 1964 Act. If lawyers can’t use it then it is a useless Act.
It is also a failure in the whole apparatus it puts in place to monitor and support library services. Regional bodies, ACL, all vaguely defined and all an utter waste of time.
In this, as with so much else, the Act is a waste of ink and paper.
But in one regard it is not. It is clear that the secretary of state has a duty to superintend the public library service. Not Re:source, the MLA, not the Arts Council of Great Britain, not the letter writing public. All of these things can only be sources of information which the Secretary of State can use. But he doesn’t have to approach third parties, he can do it himself. The Act empowers the Secretary of State to compel local authorities to provide him with whatever information he so requires to fulfil his duty. Is the Secretary of State still Jeremy Hunt?
about 12 years ago
Thank you for this. The Secretary of State is now Maria Miller MP.
about 12 years ago
We got there in the end, although it took a while. There are a lot of incorrect assumptions and misunderstandings being bandied around. And thank you for telling me who the current Secretary of State is.