Issue - meetings

That:

1)        arrangements to mitigate the impact on the Council and its statutory requirements for the provision of Library services following notice being served by the Maiden Erlegh School to vacate the Maiden Erlegh School library site, as set out in the report, be approved;

2)        the book purchasing and staffing resource be redeployed across the remaining library sites.

The Executive considered a report which set out the proposed arrangements for mitigating the impact on the Council and its statutory requirements for the provision of Library Services following notice being served by the Maiden Erlegh School to vacate the Maiden Erlegh School library site.

The Executive Member for Environment, Leisure and Libraries advised the meeting that the Council was continuing to meet its statutory duties to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all the residents of the Borough. Following the establishment of the Library Offer in 2016 the Council had implemented self-service in six libraries (with a 50% take-up), relocated the Arborfield library and provided an extra 17 hours of opening time across the Borough. The Council would also be opening new libraries in Shinfield and Arborfield as part of the Strategic Development Locations.

In relation to the closure of the Maiden Erlegh library, it was considered that most of the current service users would be able to relocate to nearby libraries as many residents already used more than one of the Borough’s libraries. Residents unable to travel could be served by other means such as the Library home delivery service.

RESOLVED that:

1)        arrangements to mitigate the impact on the Council and its statutory requirements for the provision of Library services following notice being served by the Maiden Erlegh School to vacate the Maiden Erlegh School library site, as set out in the report, be approved;

2)        the book purchasing and staffing resource be redeployed across the remaining library sites.