Councillors have approved a revised proposal following a four-month public consultation that will see 22 libraries remain fully staffed by council employees; 16 manned by an equal mix of local authority paid-personnel and volunteers and five others which will be two-thirds staffed by council workers and one-third by volunteers.

The change from council-paid staffing to a mix of council-paid staffing and volunteers in 21 libraries will take place over a three-year timeframe. It will be done over this period to ensure that all relevant libraries have a sustainable future.

Details of how and when library staffing will change at relevant libraries will emerge once work with communities has progressed.

Original proposal changed

The agreed and improved way forward has changed from the plan put out to consultation in May, which proposed that the same group of 16 libraries would only be one-third staffed by council employees.

The libraries in each of the three groupings are the same as those put forward in the consultation, which was a process that attracted nearly 5,000 responses from across Oxfordshire.

The council will guarantee that all libraries will continue to receive support in the form of free access to a suitable building; to book stock; to the library stock management system and that all of those currently without self-service equipment will be fitted with the technology via capital funding.

A difficult decision

Councillor Keith Mitchell, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We have made a judgement in a very challenging economic environment that would, with the help of the local community in some locations, see all 43 libraries in Oxfordshire remain open.

“All local authorities have had to take many tough decisions on matters to do with almost all of the services that they provide because of the very difficult financial situation that this country is in.

“We have however recognised the strength of public feeling about libraries and have come up with a compromise which we believe is viable. The Library Service will now work with the public to establish a sustainable future for each of the 21 libraries where volunteers will contribute towards staffing levels.”

Library types

Core Libraries

The 22 libraries that will remain fully staffed by council employees, meeting the council’s statutory requirement to provide a comprehensive and efficient network, are those situated in Abingdon, Banbury, Berinsfield, Bicester, Blackbird Leys, Botley, Carterton, Chipping Norton, Cowley, Didcot, Eynsham, Headington, Henley, Kidlington, Littlemore, Neithrop, Oxford Central, Summertown, Thame, Wallingford, Wantage and Witney.

Community Libraries

The 16 others, where staffing will comprise an equal mix of county council-paid staff and volunteers, will be known as Community Libraries, located in Adderbury, Bampton, Benson, Burford, Charlbury, Deddington, Goring, Hook Norton, Kennington, North Leigh, Old Marston, Sonning Common, Stonesfield, Watlington, Woodcote and Wychwood.

Community Plus Libraries

The remaining five at Chinnor, Faringdon, Grove, Wheatley and Woodstock will be called Community Plus Libraries, with two-thirds council-paid staff and one-third volunteers.

Officers will also commit to exploring how all library buildings could be used in different and more effective ways as community resources in the future.

The council would take into account every four years, or sooner if circumstances dictate, housing developments across Oxfordshire to consider whether the location of libraries would still cater for the changing face of the county.

Volunteering is nothing new

Councillor Mitchell said: “There are already hundreds of people in Oxfordshire who give up some time to assist with how public services are delivered and I am looking forward to the council establishing close links with communities to help staff some of our libraries.

“This will be a process that will of course take some time, however it is important to take this time to ensure that solid arrangements are made for each library.

“Alongside the staffing arrangements that we have agreed to take forward, the council every four years – or sooner if circumstances dictate – will look at the extent of housing developments to ensure that where libraries are located would still cater properly for the changing face of the county.”

How will money be saved?

The council’s current overall financial plan includes savings of £1.7m by 2014/15 from the Library Service. However, a decision was taken after the budget-setting process for 2011/12 was concluded in February this year that this figure would be reduced to £1,053,000 as the possibility of ceasing all funding to some libraries was no longer under consideration.

A restructure of management and professional librarian support in the service will deliver a £273,000 saving while the provision of self-service equipment in library buildings will save £256,000.

A move towards single-staffed mobile libraries will mean a £84,000 saving and changes in Book Fund arrangements and the vehicle replacement programme will achieve an additional £60,000 saving.

The saving from changes to council-paid staffing in some libraries will, if fully implemented, deliver a £313,000 saving in 2015/16.

How to achieve the remaining required £714,000 saving will be decided as part of the next budget-setting process.

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