Council decisions

On the 4^th April 2016, the Council approved Barnet’s Future Library Strategy and within this strategy, four libraries (East Barnet, South Friern, Mill Hill and Childs Hill) will become community run Partnership Libraries from the 1^st April 2017.  These libraries will continue to form part of the Barnet library network and agreements with partner organisations will last for 10 years. The successful partners will receive an annual enabling grant to support the operation of the service, alongside volunteers which they will recruit from the local community. The council has now concluded the process to identify partner organisations and has identified partner organisations for each of the four Partnership Libraries. A period of transition will now commence during which the preferred partner organisations will be supported to refine and develop their business plans and prepare to operate the library.

This report is to seek permission to procure third-party specialist equipment from Bibliotheca to allow the new Colindale Library (the replacement for the existing Grahame Park Library) to be technology enabled. This would use the same system as that adopted for the pilot at Edgware Library, which started at the end of July 2015.

The report relates to authorising the procurement of external support for Library Service public consultation.

This report sets out the Council’s decision to commission an independent facilitator to run consultation events, analyse feedback from the public, and produce a final report on the 2014-15 consultation on Barnet’s future library service.

One tender was received in response to this exercise, from Opinion Research Services (ORS) in partnership with the specialist library consultancy firm Shared Intelligence.  The proposed approach was of high quality and offered value for money.

The Council took the decision to award the contract to ORS and Shared Intelligence at a cost of £80,930.

Councillor Reuben Thompstone introduced the report and moved reception and adoption. Councillor Thompstone further moved the amendments in his name.  Councillor Anne Hutton moved her amendments. Debate ensued.

Votes were taken on Councillor Thompstone’s amendments. Votes were recorded as follows:

For: 32

Against: 31

The amendments were carried and became the substantive motion.

Votes were taken on Councillor Hutton’s amendments. Votes were recorded as follows:

For: 31

Against: 32

The amendments were lost.

Votes were taken on the recommendations as amended. At least ten members called for a formal division on the voting. Upon the vote being taken the results of the Division were declared as follows:

For: 32

Against: 31

Absent: 0

TOTAL: 63

RESOLVED that:

1.    Council agree the proposed vision, outcomes and objectives for the library service as set out in section 1.2 of the report.

2.    Council agree that the options set out in section 1.23 of the report – or a combination of the three – should be the preferred options for the library service and approve the commencement of consultation on these options in accordance with the consultation plan as set out in section 4.2 of the report, subject to Option 1 being amended so that the first sentence of the second bullet point reads: “Outside these four libraries, the library space within each building would be reduced in size depending on requirement, leaving a minimum of 540 square feet on average”.

3.    Council agree that an open library will be trialled at Edgware library at detailed in section 4.6 of this report.

4.    Council note that following this period of consultation, a report will be presented to a future meeting of the Children’s, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee. It is intended that this would be in Spring 2015.

This report attaches an assessment of an application for a grant in support of the SPACES High Barnet resident group who are seeking to take resident action to improve and maintain a public area within the Chipping Barnet library grounds.