Agenda item

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 12^th February 2024 will be published in a Supplementary Papers pack.

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 12^th February 2024 were considered.

It was requested by a Member that, in relation to the minute record for item 72/23 – Libraries Unlocked – Worcestershire County Council Presentation, the following verbatim record of questions asked by Members and responses provided, be appended to the minutes record for the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Board on 12^th February 2024:

Question: “You talked about positive customer response [to Libraries Unlocked]. How did you go about getting that information? How many people were surveyed? I would also like to know how you are going to work through the detail of the future of the Libraries Unlocked as you will be aware that Alvechurch Library is under PFI arrangement and any change in the opening hours would be a cost to the County Council and [the Libraries Unlocked] will actually mean a decrease in some of the groups that are very successful and very well respected in the area”

Response: “You are absolutely right about Alvechurch and whilst I cannot provide a definitive yes or no in terms of Libraries Unlocked, bearing in mind the PFI limitations of what we can do, it feels it is more likely to be a no in terms of Libraries Unlocked perspective. As part of the business case that we did to identify the 12 potential libraries going forward (for implementation of phase two of Libraries Unlocked), there was a return on investment for each library where we introduce Libraries Unlocked as there is a capital investment to introduce the new technology. We have to assess the return based around staffing reductions, then obviously taking into account increasing revenue, costs, usage, etc. [The libraries are] examined in turn to make sure that return on investment is still valid. It may well be that at Alvechurch there is no return on investment because of the PFI aspects, but we have not finalised [return on investment assessment] yet.” [Response was also provided about customer satisfaction: that a survey of Libraries Unlocked customers was undertaken in October 2022. Officers undertook to provide a response to Members about the results of this survey in a separate communication once information were retrieved.]

Question: “…My concern at the moment through is the staff, because when they go to work, they are trying to be really positive. They are superb. They are not just librarians. They are knowledge managers. And what they are finding is they get into work, and they have builders or surveyors come in working around them. I mean, it is an appalling way to treat people.”

Response: “We have run staff engagement sessions, staff awareness sessions as part of implementing libraries unlocked and so staff are aware of the situation. We have also held on to so many vacancies. We are pleased that up to this point there have been no need for any staff redundancies or anybody losing their job and we would look to continue with that approach throughout any further implementation of Libraries Unlocked. We have run staff consultations and we have had some positive response to Libraries Unlocked from staff and they are formally consulted at each library if we think that Libraries Unlocked is going to be implemented at that library. The decision on whether Libraries Unlocked is to be implemented has not yet been made in Alvechurch, Wythall or Hagley, and it has for Rubery and Bromsgrove (Town) libraries where the scheme will be going ahead.

Question: “What does scale-up mean?”

Response: “It means we are able to keep libraries open if we need to make more efficiencies. It is a way of keeping libraries open but still delivering further efficiencies should we need to. There are no plans but if there is a requirement to deliver savings, then we have a way of doing it which protects libraries from closing.”

Question: “My next question is relating to free meeting room hire by partners. What does partners mean and why are you doing it for free?”

Response: “We have a wide range of partners that we work with across our library network from your local voluntary sector organisation that will run things for children, knit and natter group, through to formalised sessions with youth workers. So there is a full range and we have purposely offered free meeting space within libraries unlocked hours to encourage people to use the space. We can review that over time in terms of whether it is well used. We do charge for meeting rooms in libraries. We are proposing to not put a fee on meeting rooms’ hire during libraries unlocked hours. There would still be an expectation in terms of how the meeting rooms are used during those hours.”

During the consideration of this item, the Board moved into exempt session to discuss specific points within the exempt minutes record of the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting which took place on 12^th February 2024. It was thus:

RESOLVED: that under Section 100 I of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, the public be excluded from the meeting during the remainder of  consideration of the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it/they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of scheme 12A to the Act, as amended, the relevant paragraph of that part, in each case, being as set out below and that it is in the public interest to do so:-

Following discussion of the exempt matters, the Board moved to go back into the public session. It was then:

RESOLVED that, subject to the amendment in the pre-amble above, the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 12^th February 2024 be agreed as a true and correct record.

(During the consideration of this item, Members discussed matters that necessitated the disclosure of exempt information. It was therefore agreed to move to exclude the press and public prior to any debate of exempt matters on the grounds that information would be revealed which related to the financial and business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and which related to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority).