Marianne Overton

By Marianne Overton overton

The proposal to withdraw support for 30 Lincolnshire libraries, as well as 286 mobile library stops is disproportionate to the £2 million per year savings made.

As we know, the County Council has a statutory duty to provide a service that is efficient and comprehensive, which everyone can access. Therefore, anyone who cannot get to their library and wants to borrow a book is entitled to a home service. So the saving may well not be there at all.

Libraries are not just book depositories. We already include volunteers in many of our libraries. Libraries are a much wider service which needs to be professional in terms of skills, responsibility in managing people and wide training needed to cover the range of work.

At the last reduction in 2008, Branston Library went from 103,000 visits per year to around 25-35,000 it gets now, after its hours were drastically cut. This proposal is a further cut to a service that is already a very cost-effective “lean machine”.

The last review looked at the cost-effectiveness of each library, in £ per unit use. Branston scored very highly. Libraries with partnership arrangements often lever in huge additional benefits and money. This cannot be easily ignored or cast aside.

For example, the Academy at Branston invests a huge sum every year in Branston Library. They provide the building and its maintenance, heating, lighting and cleaning. Doubling up with public use makes perfect sense.

Other partners include NKDC, and some services can be accessed from here, including access to planning applications, electoral register and information.

The Parish Council, Police, grant-giving bodies and benefits service all hold surgeries here, using the private counselling room as required. This assists in the rewiring to provide “joined-up” public services, moving us in the direction we want to go.

The Library is also a Learn Direct computer training centre for the public. As the government wants us to move towards on line benefit claims, this will be increasingly important, helping prevent people from getting into much greater difficulties. That would also have knock-on costs for us, especially if children are involved.

Branston Library is very well situated, being adjacent to the pre-school, secondary school, swimming pool and leisure facilities, youth centre and very close to the junior school and shopping and health centre. It is also adjacent to two housing estates, one of which has a high level of needs. Feedback is very positive.

So it is a well-used, cost-effective “front door” to our council and other services.

— Editor’s note: This is an adapted version of an open letter sent by Marianne Overton to Councillor Nick Worth, Executive Member for Libraries at Lincolnshire County Council.

Marianne Overton is the Independent County and District Councillor for Navenby and Branston District and the Cliff Villages. Also leader of the Lincolnshire Independents, a county-wide support network. Twice elected national Leader of the Independent Group of councillors for England and Wales and Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association.

By Marianne Overton overton

Eric Pickle’s announcement brings further cuts in funding for local services taking the reductions to over 30% over the four years. This comes on top of the unprecedented cuts councils already have to implement. This is very bad news for local services and significantly undermines the role councils can play in promoting economic recovery.

It is good that the Government has taken significant steps to soften the possible negative financial impacts of changes to business rates distribution and funding for education services. Despite these sensible moves councils are still exposed to some sizable new costs and risks which are likely to draw money away from other services.

Local government has borne the brunt of cuts to public spending, and the announcement confirms that this will continue to be the case until 2015. What was scheduled to be an extremely challenging 28% reduction in council funding will now exceed 33% and, for some councils, may go much higher. In comparison, Whitehall department budgets are being cut by on average 8% and a further 1% this year. Councils are one of the few parts of the public sector which actively promote economic growth. Curtailing that role hampers Britain’s economic recovery.

Colleagues at the Local Government Association and I have worked hard starkly to illustrate to Mr Pickles and the Treasury, what the effect of further cuts will be on our ability to provide the fundamental services people expect, and how we can contribute to building the economy of the country.

Mr Pickles has responded positively to our representations on two issues; the new funding system based on partial local retention of business rate growth was going to hold back too much cash in central government coffers “We’ve listened to local government […] reduced the amounts that we are setting aside for New Homes Bonus, for the safety net and for academies funding. In total that means an additional £1.9bn for local authorities upfront in 2013-14.”

Whilst there are differences of opinion of the actual amounts, the recognition of the problem caused to budgeting from witholding funds has been recognised.

However, it is disappointing that the government has chosen to cut Local Government funding even further than previously announced. Local Government took a 28% cut over four years, which is more than any other department, on the understanding that at least we knew where we stood. This is a new additional cut on top of the previously known reductions.

At the same time, there are increasing demands being made on Councils, particularly in adult care. That leaves much less for any other services. I and others have made sure the ministers fully understand our situation. We need to make cost-effective reductions, but there comes a point where cuts can have more damaging and expensive knock-on effects.

As budgets tighten still further, it remains vital that councils properly communicate and genuinely engage the public in the decision-making. We need to hear many voices from different perspectives if we are to represent the public and make the right decisions. Far too many decisions in Lincolnshire are made behind closed doors, serving the interests of only a portion of our communities.

Marianne Overton is the Independent County and District Councillor for Navenby and Branston District and the Cliff Villages. Also leader of the Lincolnshire Independents, a county-wide support network. Twice elected national Leader of the Independent Group of councillors for England and Wales and Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association.