Suffolk Libraries plans to 'fight' decision to bring libraries back under council control
Charity Suffolk Libraries has controlled the county's library's for over twelve years
Suffolk Libraries say a decision to bring the county's libraries under council control 'a bolt from the blue' and 'a staggeringly short-sighted decision'.
Yesterday, it was announced Suffolk County Council would be bringing the county's library services under its control, after negotiations broke down with a provider due to ‘serious concerns’ about its viability.
The service has been run by the Suffolk Libraries charity since 2012 when Suffolk County Council divested from it due to austerity cuts.
Procurement for the contract, for six years with the possibility to extend it a further six at a total price tag of £80 million, started last year.
However, it was abandoned after the bidder changed their bid during the process, leading the council to attempt to agree to negotiate a direct award with Suffolk Libraries before talks broke down.
According to the council, negotiations for a shorter contract broke down because Suffolk Libraries was unwilling to agree to the authority’s terms and proposed others which were not acceptable or were unlawful.
The authority said the charity’s proposal would have seen a reduction in opening hours by 30 per cent.
On top of this, SCC outlined ‘serious concerns’ about the viability of the charity with its head office, including senior managers, costing a third of their annual staffing bill.
"A bolt from the blue"
Now, in a statement posted on the charity's website, CEO of Suffolk Libraries, Bruce Leeke, has responded to the announcement: “We are incredibly shocked, disappointed and frustrated by this announcement by Suffolk County Council.
"It’s a bolt from the blue and in our opinion, it’s a staggeringly short-sighted decision.
“Suffolk Libraries has done an amazing job of running the library service in Suffolk for 12 and a half years under very challenging circumstances.
"We have successfully steered the charity to become a recognised pioneer for change within the library sector and we are now regarded as a leading force within the industry.
"We currently have one of the best run library services in the country which has saved millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, increased the impact and value of libraries and ultimately made Suffolk a better place to live by offering residents access to a groundbreaking and diverse range of services and support.
“Suffolk County Council’s decision will impact everyone in the county and indeed will send out worrying signals to the nation with regard to the future of libraries within the community.
"Even if you don’t use libraries, we believe the proposed change will be a very inefficient and costly process and the cost to the people of Suffolk is even higher.
“We intend to fight this decision and will comment further once we’ve had a chance to fully digest the details.”