Cllr Mansell speaks out - No support for in-house bid

No wonder Croydon residents are immobilised by the confusion over libraries. Councillor Maggie Mansell speaks out on the proposal to outsource Croydon libraries and the very real barriers to an in-house bid.  Does anyone REALLY know what is going on with Croydon libraries? 

Letters page of Croydon Advertiser, 16th September 2011

Libraries debate on letter page continues...

Whilst the letters page of a local paper may not the ideal place to conduct a conversation it does indicate the extent residents need to go to seek clear information. As yet, despite requests, not one notice of the decision to market test all thirteen libraries has gone up in any Croydon library.


There has been an exchange of letters in the Croydon Guardian which you can find here, here and here  This was followed  by a response from Cllr Sara Bashford on 10th August 2011 in the Croydon Guardian which is reproduced here:

Tracie Parry is back on the case this week.  She writes in today's Croydon Guardian letter page, which you can find on page 18 of the E-edition here, with the full version of the letter she submitted reproduced below (omissions highlighted).
   

It is all very well for Councillor Sara Bashford (All information on library changes is but just a click away, Your Say, 10th August) to say that residents have had several notifications of “the process we are going through” – referring to the council’s library market-testing exercise. However, despite what she says, the council have not gone out of their way to keep residents informed. Moreover, whilst the letter page is not the place to conduct a conversation it does indicate the extent residents need to go to seek information.

As far as I can see at no stage has the council made a clear and concise announcement about the market-testing exercise which affects all 13 libraries and not just the six that were previously being consulted upon.   and in fact would have made a valuable and more inclusive contribution to the process. And where she says the decision to carry out this work came as a direct result of listening to the views of thousands of library users – is she not forgetting that these thousands were the ones responding to the original consultation i.e. only the six libraries threatened with closure. How and when were the views of residents who use the other libraries going to be gathered and considered? Hence the suggestion of a cross-party commission which would have allowed all residents a say and in fact would have made a valuable and more inclusive contribution to the process.

Perhaps any future information should also be put clearly in print in the libraries. I still find it hard to believe that the responses from the initial consultation led the council to conclude residents had such little faith in them that the only option was to insist it be taken out of their hands and run by another authority or organisation rather than look at other income-generating ideas like on-site cafes or advertising. 

If it does turn out that the library service is put out to tender then I can only hope the council chooses wisely and does not just look at profits before ensuring a comprehensive, professionally-run and efficient library service can be made available to all.

We are thankful to Tracie for sharing the full text of her letter with the campaign group.  Probably due to space the Guardian were unable to print the letter in full but in editing it, cut out several important points that she raised.

Chance to have your say on Croydon libraries...

With a decision imminent many Croydon residents are still unaware of the market-testing undertaken on Croydon libraries, with a view to progressing outsourcing them ALL to a private company, other local authorities or other interested groups. Campaigners regularly meet with people who are not only unaware but laugh at such a prospect in disbelief. Unfortunately it is not a joke. A recent spate of correspondence in the Croydon Guardian here, here and here illustrates the point of the council's coyness to make an announcement.

Perhaps part of this reticence to announce the plans clearly and proudly to residents is that it would appear to be a admission by Croydon Council that they are unable to effectively manage their network of thirteen libraries.

Croydon Labour councillors challenged Croydon's Conservative Council to agree to an Independent cross-party library review.  This would have afforded all residents an opportunity to have a say on Croydon libraries and to explore ways to keep Croydon libraries locally owned and accountable to local people. This was rejected by Conservative councillors and the market testing exercise was launched.

Croydon Labour councillors are still keen to hear your views so that they can represent the views of Croydon. There is further information here. There is a survey which takes only moments to complete. Please take a moment to have your say.

There is also an opportunity to send a message using the contact tab or to sign up to email updates.

Please help spread the word!

Cllr Maggie Mansell speaks out on Croydon libraries

The following was printed in the Croydon Advertiser letters page on 15th July and is reproduced here with kind thanks to Cllr Maggie Mansell.

Since the Croydon Advertiser broke the news that the Libraries may be privatised (Croydon Advertiser 3 June, and subsequent reports) the Labour shadow cabinet has heard from an expert on Libraries, and community representatives. The Cabinet meeting received a paper reporting that the community was against closure of any Libraries.

The new proposal is “market testing” of the Library service, including the Central Library and all the district libraries, which could result in a decision to privatise or outsource to another council or voluntary organisation. My concern was that the paper did not define the service to be provided, and the paper was full of “maybe”, no firm guarantees. Labour councillors’ questions elicited some important assurances that I would like put on record.

Cllr Fisher says that the buildings will remain the property of the Council. The council will allow and facilitate an in-house staff bid.

Our concerns are that the overheads are high including an IT system, renegotiated by the Tories; there is no service specification, no business model, no option appraisal; there are efficiency savings to be made but we want Croydon to have the benefit, not another council or a private company.

The Library already gives good service. There are savings to be made with service improvements, decision making could be devolved to local level and local people should be involved. We expect a proper option appraisal would rule out privatisation very quickly, because it will be more expensive by comparison with other models.

Labour offered to work with the council in a proper commission, and we asked for a pre-decision Scrutiny. The Tories have opted for the Scrutiny process. This will be an opportunity to examine different service developments and management options. I would be glad to receive any suggestions from staff or users.

Maggie Mansell

Labour Spokesperson on Libraries, Culture and Sport