Save Doncaster Libraries - Mayor of Doncaster refuses to reopen libraries

The Mayor of Doncaster says he will overrule a council decision to reopen two libraries in Doncaster.

A Labour budget amendment to reopen libraries at Denaby and Carcroft was passed by the full council on 5 March.

Council funding was withdrawn from 14 libraries in 2011. Two closed and 12 were transferred to volunteer groups.

Peter Davies, of the English Democrats, said the amendment would undermine the voluntary nature of the plan. Labour described his decision as "appalling".

Doncaster Council has to find £80m in savings over four years.

Reducing the number of council-run libraries from 26 to 12 has saved almost £1m, Mr Davies said.

'For nothing'

 

Labour is the majority group on the council and leader Sandra Holland said the amendment would have ensured that no library in the borough would fail.

The proposal to reopen the two libraries would have cost £380,000.

It would have also provided a paid member of staff for the other 12 volunteer-run libraries.

Mr Davies said under the elected mayoral system he had the right to spend or not spend the money as he wished and would overrule the council for the first time in three years.

He said: "If you put some paid people into libraries run by volunteers the likely scenario is the volunteers will say, 'to hell with this, they are getting paid I am doing it for nothing, I am not sticking around'."

Ms Holland said: "I am appalled by the news that the mayor will ignore this vote and refuses to wake up to the fact that Doncaster people want to see community libraries supported and closed libraries reopened."

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-17277017

Save Doncaster Libraries - Doncaster libraries funding cut agreed

Council funding has been withdrawn from 14 of the 26 libraries in Doncaster.

Two libraries at Carcroft and Denaby will close on 1 November and volunteers are being sought to run 12 others as the council seeks to make savings.

However, Jill Johnson, a former head of library services in the town, said: "I think that in the long term these different kind of libraries will fail."

Mayor Peter Davies said: "I would argue that the libraries have not been working very well in the past."

The 26 libraries cost £5.26m a year to run, excluding the cost of maintenance.

Doncaster Council is currently trying to find savings of £80m over four years, as part of the cuts required by central government.

'Super-libraries'

During a heated council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Davies said there was no other choice but to remove funding from the 14 libraries.

He said that would leave the council to focus its resources on 12 "super-libraries".

"Our policy now of making these 12 super-libraries more attractive and more pleasing for people to visit may well restore people's faith in libraries and, who knows, libraries in Doncaster may enjoy a renaissance."

Under the proposals Balby, Bawtry, Bessacarr, Edenthorpe, Intake, Moorends, Rossington, Scawthorpe, Sprotbrough, Stainforth, Warmsworth and Wheatley could all be community-led enterprises.

Ms Johnson, who was among a group of campaigners opposed to the library shake-up, said: "I think it is a very sad day, especially for these communities that are involved.

"I hope they are successful but my fear is that once the first flush of enthusiasm has worn off two or three years down the line that, in fact, they are not going to be sustainable."

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-15276602

 

EPIC FAIL!

Save Doncaster Libraries - Moves to cut library funding criticised

CONTROVERSIAL plans which will see a council cut its funding for more than half of the libraries in a Yorkshire town have been unveiled and met with a barrage of criticism from campaigners.

Earlier this year Doncaster Council launched a consultation on the future of 14 of its 26 libraries after elected Mayor Peter Davies said the authority could no longer afford to run them.

The other 12 libraries in the borough will continue to be funded, but Mr Davies said he wanted to see community groups and volunteers come forward to secure the future of those under threat.

Yesterday the council said it had sent out 65,000 questionnaires to people living near to the 14 libraries under review.

According to the authority, 7,000 people responded and “following discussions with volunteers, community groups, and library action groups, a series of recommendations have been drawn up”.

The proposals are community run libraries in existing buildings at Bawtry, Intake and Warmsworth and community-run libraries in a different venue at Balby, Bessacarr, Edenthorpe, Wheatley and Sprotbrough.

Self-service libraries are expected to be run by volunteers inside exiting council buildings at Moorends, Rossington, Stainforth and Scawthorpe, with mobile libraries at Carcroft and Denaby.

Mr Davies said: “We need to concentrate the council’s limited resources on raising the standard of the 12 funded libraries so they attract a higher amount of use.”

He added that currently, the 26 libraries cost £5.26million to run each year and this does not include the money needed to maintain and invest in the buildings.

Yesterday, the pressure group Save Doncaster’s Libraries dismissed the plans unveiled and said the mayor had not carried out the proper assessments needed to allow the council to end its association with the 14 libraries.

The council’s ruling cabinet will meet to discuss the proposals next Wednesday

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/moves_to_cut_library_funding_criticised_1_3841274

Save Doncaster Libriaries - Library aid group formed (Bawtry)

Volunteers who have registered an interest in helping to run Bawtry Library to save it from closure by Doncaster Council as part of its borough-wide budget cuts attended a meeting with library officials.

The meeting agreed that the name of the newly-formed steering committee would be Bawtry Community Library group and that it will look into the work that needs to be done and the action that needs to be taken for the group to potentially take on the running of the library as a charity.

Coun George Spencer was elected chairman and Coun Vivienne Wilcox his deputy.

From http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/library_aid_group_formed_1_3557985

Save Doncaster Libraries - Mayor critical as Miliband backs library closure protest

MAYOR of Doncaster Peter Davies has hit back at MP Ed Miliband’s criticisms of Doncaster’s planned libraries cuts.


Mr Miliband, who is backing protesters who are fighting the planned closures, said he was adding his support for the campaign to keep 14 libraries initially named on a list of threatened closures.

He said they were an essential part of the community in Doncaster.

But Mr Davies said: “The real culprits for the closures are Mr Miliband et al whose Labour Government got us in the mess the country is in.

“He is jumping on the bandwagon without recognising the part his party has played in the mess we are in.

“The decision has been made that 12 libraries will stay open and be improved to make them more attractive to get more people in them. Central Library, for instance, has been neglected over the years.

“We will keep as many open as possible, working with the community. But we already have too many libraries in the borough. There are certainly some libraries where no-one has come forward as a community saying they are interested in keeping them open.”


Mr Miliband is due to meet campaigners from pressure group Save Doncaster’s Libraries next month. The campaigners have collected 26,000 names on a petition.

From:http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/mayor_critical_as_miliband_backs_library_closure_protest_1_3522548

He would say that though!

Save Doncaster Libraries - Consultation over library cuts ‘biased’ row

CAMPAIGNERS battling plans to close 14 branch libraries have accused Doncaster Council of skewing consultation against keeping them open.


The protest organisation Save Doncaster Libraries believes consultation has not been wide enough and has been designed to limit the number of responses produced.


Now it has written to the council raising a list of 13 concerns over the process.

Spokeswoman Lauren Smith said only households very close to the affected libraries were being send consultation questionnaires.


She said: “We don’t have confidence that the people who are carrying out the exercise are doing it properly.

“The process just seems so biased towards the closure of the libraries.”

Lauren has raised concerns that the information put out with questionnaires says of the council does not hear from an individual it will take the view that they do not require access to a library service in their community.


Concerns over closure plans were raised by the all party Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.

Mr Davies deferred the closure for a year for more consultation after the concerns had been raised, giving community groups the chance to take branches on.

Julie Grant, council assistant director responsible for libraries, said: “We have provided a questionnaire to every household in the 14 areas so they can have their say on the future of their library and of any impact an alternative way of delivering the service will have upon them.

“We are encouraging everyone who has received a questionnaire to respond, otherwise we will not know their views.


“Other means such as focus groups will be used to gain views and details of these groups will be announced in the near future.

“Due to the government-imposed spending cuts, the council has no option but to review our current library service and identify where savings can be made, while improving and changing the way that libraries are run, making them a sustainable service for the future.”


From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/consultation_over_library_cuts_biased_row_1_3422176

News - Foul Play in Doncaster Council (Bawtry Library)

Our fears have been confirmed; the officer in charge of executing the library cuts has been involved in secret meetings with parish council leaders and the Mayor of Bawtry, in which demands have been made by DMBC for parish councils and community groups to make arrangements to take over the running of the library service by June or have the library service completely removed. This is completely unacceptable for many reasons, some of which are:

1. The Mayor, councillors and officers responsible for the library budget agreed through the overview and scrutiny process to conduct proper and robust consultation with communities and stakeholders, to ensure that the council was fully informed about community capacity and whether communities would be able to sustain a library service themselves. The overview and scrutiny committee also identified that no information had been collected about levels of deprivation across Doncaster. These information collecting processes have still not occurred. The council therefore has no evidence with which it can justify removing the statutory library provision from the 14 areas under threat. The fact remains that the council has no idea whether communities would be able to take responsibility for the library service and how this would be implemented.
2. The Mayor admitted that the 12 of the 14 libraries that were chosen to be closed (or at the very least lose their council funding and buildings) were picked arbitrarily. The council has failed to provide evidence that any work was done to reassess which libraries they had selected, despite claiming they had done so using a points system. A Freedom of Information request was made and the council refused to provide the documents they claimed existed – they now claim they do not exist and never did. This is pending an internal review which the council has a legal duty to conduct. Despite admitting that they failed to use accurate information to choose the library closures, they are still threatening the same branches.
3. The Mayor will seek to justify library closures by claiming that there was no “appetite” for a library service in those areas when communities fail to step forward to run the service. This is a spurious claim. The council has a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It also has a duty to promote the service to encourage people to use it. Doncaster has completely failed to provide a good service or promote the service for several years. As a result, many people in Doncaster are unaware of what libraries have to offer and do not know how libraries can be of use. There is therefore a diminished “appetite” for libraries and it is the council's fault. It is morally reprehensible to run down a service to the point that it does not meet the needs of communities, then blame them for this and threaten to remove the service to which they have a legal right unless they step forward to run it. Communities have extremely limited knowledge and understanding of the library service, and this is the fault of the council.
4. Enough money has been found to maintain the service as it is for twelve months. The officers responsible are pressuring communities to make quick decisions, manipulating them through threats. The council has enough time to properly investigate alternatives to closures and community-run libraries, but is refusing to do so. This suggests that the closures are at best a manifestation of council ineptitude, and at worst, ideologically driven and a symbol of the council's refusal to serve its electorate.
5. These discussions are happening behind the backs of  ward councillors, communities, unions and campaign groups. It is vital for the process to be transparent in order to ensure that everyone involved understands the implications of the decisions being made. Without the involvement of those who understand communties - the public and ward councillors - and  those who understand library services – the public, Doncaster's library staff, and qualified librarians – and those who understand the legal implications of staff redundancies – the unions – the discussions are meaningless and counterproductive. There is no point wasting time and effort by investigating impossible or impractical options. This continued lack of communication with the public demonstrates how incapable and unwilling the council are to work with Doncaster residents, as does their failure to schedule a public debate, which the council is obliged to do now that 15,000+ people have put their names to a petition in opposition to the cuts. Remember, Mayor Davies, just as you've said many times... “The council is the servan of the public.”
   
   From: http://savedoncasterlibraries.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/foul-play-in-doncaster-council/ 

News - Forests and Libraries SAVED !!!!!

Wow two great things in one day

1) the Demcon's have done a complete U-turn on selling the Forestry Commissions land off

2) The Mayor of Doncaster has put the closure of the libraries on hold for at least a year. Don't give up on protesting yet though :)

Dave C

News - Save Doncaster Libraries - Latest blog offering

Doncaster has a Borough Strategy, which the council describe as "the key long-term document for improving quality of life in Doncaster". It calls for "mutual support, community structures, and civic pride".

The town already has severe problems with educational attainment, literacy, employment, health, crime and poverty. More people are out of work and claiming Job-Seekers Allowance in Doncaster compared to the national average (Doncaster’s Borough Strategy 2010-2015). Crime rates are higher than the national average (Doncaster’s Borough Strategy 2010-2015).

More and more people will soon find themselves redundant and with more financial problems. Libraries are needed and used more in times of recession and economic difficulty. (see this article from the Wall Street Journal, too).

The council and the people of Doncaster would benefit from community hubs which offer things like:

• Urgent help and advice on how to search for jobs, update CVs and survive the cuts;
• Careers workshops;
• Counselling services;
• Free access to books, cds, dvds, online databases, encyclopaedias etc. for recreation and learning;
• Free access to audiobooks (books on tape), ebooks, accessibility software, Braille services etc. for disabled and elderly people. These are often too expensive for people to buy and are not readily available in shops;
• Free access to the internet, which particularly helps the 30+ per cent of people in Doncaster who don't have access at home. This would help the council to tackle the digital divide;
• Homework clubs and support from library staff, for all children but especially those who benefit from out-of-school learning and can't easily study at home due to space or living situations;
• Library resources that aren't available in schools (school libraries are not statutory and many look set to close in the next couple of years).

When you look at the Mayor's priorities, and compare them with the ways in which libraries across the world benefit societies, it becomes even more apparent that he has no idea what libraries do. If he did understand, he'd be prioritising libraries just as much as he says he does old people's services and other services, just as more than twenty other councils are. And seeing as he clearly has no clue, how can he have the right to destroy a service he admits he's never used?

Many councils across the country are using library services to support council priorities. For example, Haringey libraries are to become community hubs, better promoting the services they already provide, such as: health check sessions; help for small businesses; drop-in sessions and lunch clubs for older people; and a range of activities for children.

So how could this be done in Doncaster? And how could it help the Mayor?

1. It's a well-known fact that library use improves literacy. It only makes sense that reading more helps you read better...but we also have proof that this is the case: the National Literacy Trust has found that children who use libraries are twice as likely to have a higher than average reading age. Surely this is something that the Mayor would support? Alas, the Mayor said on You & Yours on BBC Radio 4 a few days ago that the idea that libraries support literacy is untrue! Well, if perhaps he'd admit he's wrong on that count, maybe libraries could help him in his aim to"improve services for children and young people". Libraries are a very cheap way of supporting every single child in Doncaster. It's not just about children in care, it's about the life chances of all children, which are known to be very limited in this area.
2. The Mayor is "keen that Doncaster offers all its residents the opportunity to improve their skills and realise their ambitions". A laudable aim that libraries in their very nature support. In a meeting with Bawtry residents last week, the Mayor told a little girl that if she wanted to improve her literacy she should do it at school. This is all well and good, but what about adults who need to improve their literacy? There are many adults in Doncaster whose employment opportunities are severely limited due to low levels of literacy, and library resources such as specialist books for adults learning to read and improve their reading are the perfect way to offer people the "opportunity to improve their skills". Doncaster engages in the government's Adult, Family and Community Learning courses, so many of which could be supported by libraries at no extra cost to the library service - local history, family history, DIY, gardening, drawing skills, sugarcraft, learning languages, healthy cookery, art...what better way than to apply some joined-up thinking to services and make it even clearer that libraries offer residents the "opportunity to release their skills and realise their ambitions"?
3. The Mayor "wants to ensure residents with learning disabilities are accepted as people in their own right in their local communities". In the majority of Doncaster communities, libraries are the only community space left. If they close (which it is highly likely they will because the council has no idea if and how volunteers will run the services that they are no longer willing to provide) there will be nowhere left for people to go where they will meet a mix of people from all backgrounds and of all ages and abilities. Bawtry and Wheatley libraries for example,  are used weekly by children with learning disabilities, who love the libraries and their staff and will be absolutely devastated when they have this access taken away. When there is nowhere for people to mix, residents with learning disabilities will be more isolated and marginalised by communities.
4. The Mayor wants to let the world know that "Doncaster is ‘open for business’". One of the things that businesses take into account when looking at new locations for sites is 'quality of life' in the area, which includes community facilities and library services. By removing branch libraries and removing the new central library from the plans for Doncaster's £300 million Civic and Cultural Quarter, the council is shooting itself in the foot if they want business in Doncaster to improve. Closing libraries will have an impact on existing businesses, because when people visit a library they may also pop to the local shops. When the library goes and they have to use the central library, they're far less likely to do this - especially if they have to walk all the way across town from the bus station to the central library with a pile of books.
5. The Mayor wants to protect the environment from developers, decay and architectural vandalism. What better way to help this along than to provide a place in every community where people can go to learn about the cultural heritage of Doncaster, access specialist books about environmental issues, and find out how they can get involved in challenging developers' plans? Unfortunately, in an ironic twist, it appears that Bawtry and Rossington libraries will be sold off to make way for new developments.
6. The Mayor wants to "reduce crime and end all forms of anti-social behaviour". A lot of his work has focussed on punishment, but what about nipping any potential problems in the bud before people are inconvenienced and upset by poor behaviour? Allowing children the opportunity to use a library and be involved in creative and productive activities helps break cycles of destructive behaviour. Neighbourhood Police Teams already use libraries as places people can go to speak to them about dealing with problems in the community, and anti-social behaviour could be one of the topics. In terms of reducing crime, public library use is strongly linked to reducing re-offending.
7. The Mayor says he "remain[s] firmly of the belief that councils should provide residents with efficient and value for money services that make the borough a better place to live for all of us". The consultancy report conducted by a libraries expert cost upwards of £15,000. The council are now ignoring the recommendations made, including many measures to make the service more efficient, and instead have chosen to remove funding from 14 libraries and offer communities the chance to run them. This is the easy way out for the council, but does not guarantee that the service that is left will be efficient or value for money. It especially won't be value for money for council tax payers who will still be paying £18 a year for public libraries, when there is no longer one in their area.

As the leader of the council, the Mayor has a duty to serve the residents of Doncaster. He says "The council is the servant of the public, not its master." We'd like the Mayor to honour this assertion and listen to the 14,000+ residents of Doncaster who have already told him that the cuts he is making to Doncaster libraries are not acceptable. We'd like him to look at the resources linked to from this article and think about the role of libraries.  We'd like the council to look at the impact that the disproportionate and ill-planned cuts will have to library services and the people of Doncaster. There is still time to do this, and it is absolutely unacceptable that it has not already been done.

Originally posted on the Save Doncaster Libraries blog: http://savedoncasterlibraries.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/mayor/