Cuts and ‘casualised’ staff... is this our libraries’ future?

Published: 17 June, 2011

• THE current consultation on shaping the future of the library service, with its inclusion of setting up a trust, is a serious threat to library services and jobs.

What is noticeable about the council’s public consultation document is that it does not explain to the public what a trust is.

A trust would mean transferring the entire library service to a non-profit organisation. While the council would retain ownership of the buildings, the library service would, in effect, be run by a board, which might include users, businesses, the voluntary sector, staff and councillors.

It would operate at “arms’-length” from the council, a bit like Homes for Islington, and would constitute outsourcing. This at a time when the Labour council has pledged to bring back in-house services that were previously outsourced. 

The option of the trust is being recommended in order to save money. However, the trust’s financial and management structures could lead to failure and liquidation. This could result in the council being in breach of the 1964 Libraries Act.

The savings required may not be achievable, and this could lead to a substantial cut in library services and staff. The experience of other trusts shows that the workforce has been “casualised”, with their terms and conditions greatly eroded.

Unison and the GMB have decided to organise their own public meeting before the end of the consultation period, with a view to inviting councillors to debate this issue with us.

JANE DOOLAN
Branch secretary, Unison