Agenda item

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to review the performance of the library service since the introduction of its new funding model in April 2025.

The Committee considered the report (Agenda Item 7), the purpose of which was to review the performance of the Library Service since the introduction of its new funding model in April 2025.

It was reported that the new offer to develop additional library services, which were chargeable, was set within the context of the current financial challenges faced by the Council.

Councillor Nigel Foot, the Portfolio Holder for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Countryside, presented the report. He started by giving his view that the team of officers and volunteers delivered an exceptional service to library users.

He gave some background to the funding situation for the Library Service over past years. The budget had reduced and so too had the level of officer resource, Wash Common Library had closed (although it had since reopened and was being successfully run by the local community), and the mobile library had reduced. Voluntary financial contributions had been sought from town and parish councils but it had not been possible to achieve the target that had been set.

The new funding model introduced in April 2025 followed a decision to move away from seeking these voluntary contributions as it was considered an unfair approach with some parishes paying for the services, while others were not able to.

The decision was also taken to cease the mobile library service as usage was limited and the cost of replacing the vehicle was high. As an alternative, pop-up libraries and community bookshelves had begun operating. The number of visitors at these three pop-up libraries were exceeding those seen by the mobile library and it was the intention to increase their number. The pop-up libraries had proved invaluable to parishes who could be offered bespoke services. They were also an ideal place to share key information with residents.

A number of points were raised and questions asked during the debate. Summarised as follows:

·       This was noted as a positive report.

·       Felicity Harrison, Culture and Libraries Manager, agreed to provide national library trend data for comparison with the picture in West Berkshire.

·       There had been a shortfall in the revenue budget for the Library Service over recent years, but additional Council funding of £92,900 had been added to the Library Service budget to cover this shortfall through an investment bid. The income from the chargeable services being offered was additional to the base budget and it was therefore felt that the budget had moved to a sustainable and more stable position for the future as part of the new funding model.

·       E-library services had moved to being provided by a single provider and this had enabled clearer marketing of the services to take place, and this would be increased.

·       Councillor Foot explained his intention to attend many parish and town council meetings both to promote the services being offered and as a chance to gain information on local needs.

·       It was explained that it was possible to access data on library users, i.e. their postcodes, to help build the picture of where users were accessing library services to help inform the Council and parishes. The Library Service annual report for 2024/25 had recently been sent to all parishes which included information on service provision, this would assist with promotion.

·       Very useful information had been provided by the mobile library driver on the best locations to locate pop-up libraries. There was however no set criteria, and approaches were welcomed from all parish and town councils.

·       Praise was given by Members who had attended pop-up libraries in their Wards and felt this could be usefully provided in other areas of the district. It was also felt that interested parishes could be invited to existing pop-ups to aid them in their considerations for their areas. It would be useful to involve parishes at the earliest stage possible.

·       Councillor Foot took the opportunity to highlight that a recent publication of the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association included an article to highlight West Berkshire’s pop-up library provision.

·       Libraries were being used as a hub for the community outreach programme ‘Let’s Talk’ which commenced in May 2025 and this included pop-up libraries. Councillor Jeff Brooks felt that libraries held a key role as information hubs for local communities, and this was one of the reasons for wanting to retain West Berkshire’s libraries.

·       It was acknowledged that there had been a slight decline in the number of new library members in 2024/25, but 2023/24 had proved to be a bumper year following focussed efforts to increase numbers through schools. It was the intention to resume this type of work to again encourage residents to become library members.

·       Praise was given for the At Home Library Service and Felicity Harrison explained that there were plans to link this with community hubs and cafes across the district, and contact was being made to try and facilitate this. However, community hubs could make direct contact with officers if they wanted to take this forward.

·       The enthusiastic library staff and volunteers were commended for all their efforts in their work to deliver services to West Berkshire’s residents.

Action:

·       The national library trend data would be provided for comparison with the picture in West Berkshire.

RESOLVED to note the performance of the library service since the introduction of the new funding model in April 2025.