DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

DCMS 43/99                                           19 February 1999

  CHRIS SMITH UNVEILS FIRST EVER GOVERNMENT REPORT ON LOCAL COUNCIL 
                         LIBRARY PLANS
 
Culture Secretary reveals six councils to get written warnings over 
potential cuts to services
 
Culture Secretary Chris Smith today unveiled the first ever report on
the future plans of England's 149 library authorities to be published
by central Government. Whilst welcoming the positive work being 
carried out by the vast majority of councils, Mr Smith also announced
that the Government would be investigating the 'small minority of 
authorities currently contemplating unacceptable cuts in services'.
 
Mr Smith said the Government was pleased with the overall standard of
the future plans for local library services, but fifteen local 
authorities would be asked to carry out more work on their plans, and
six other councils would be receiving written warnings from the 
Government, asking them to review possible unacceptable cuts to 
services. If satisfactory responses are not received those 
authorities will face detailed investigation.
 
The Report has been compiled using the first ever set of Annual 
Library Plans, giving details of proposals for the future development
of local library services, which councils have been asked to prepare 
by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Under the 1964 Public
Libraries and Museums Act, local library authorities have a statutory
duty to provide a 'comprehensive and efficient library service'.
 
Announcing the release of the report the Culture Secretary said;
 
"Local libraries lie at the heart of local communities across the 
country, and the Government believes they have a key role to play as 
'streetcorner universities' in promoting education, as well as 
tackling social exclusion by giving 'information have-nots' access to
new technology they would not otherwise have.
 
"The vast majority of local library authorities are to be 
congratulated for their plans to build on and improve library 
services we can all be proud of. The Government is happy to support 
reorganisations which improve and modernise the way in which library 
services are delivered to the public, but changes must be aimed at 
improving the quality of service not reducing it.
 
"The Government has a responsibility to ensure that local councils 
provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all who 
desire it, and where unacceptable cuts are proposed we will act 
accordingly."
 
In a letter, being sent to each local library authority together with
a copy of the report Mr Smith writes;
 
"Recent press speculation has suggested that many local authorities 
are proposing cuts in their public library services. At a time when 
the Government has provided the best local authority financial 
settlement for 7 years, unjustified cuts to library services are 
simply not acceptable.
 
"It is the statutory duty of every library authority to provide a 
comprehensive and efficient public library service and I have a duty 
to ensure that they do so. I take this duty very seriously, and shall
examine in detail the rationale behind any proposed service 
reductions and other significant changes, such as service 
restructuring. I am therefore taking immediate steps to investigate 
the situation in a number of authorities."
 
"Annual Library Plans provide the structured information needed to 
enable me to take a much more informed view of the state of public 
library services, and to assess how the service is doing nationally 
against our broader objectives. For the first time, we have a 
complete national picture of all library authorities short and long 
term strategies, set against key performance indicators. Over time, I
intend to use Annual Library Plans to develop appropriate benchmarks 
in order to facilitate a more rigorous and analytical assessment of 
whether or not library authorities are fulfilling their statutory 
duties."
 
Notes to Editors
 
1. Copies of the Appraisal of Annual Library Plans 1998 - Final 
Report are available from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
(0171-211 6127).
 
2. Key Facts about the Public Library Service:
 
  58 per cent of the adult population hold library membership - 
that's nearly 34 million library tickets. There were 377 million 
visits made to libraries in 95\96, more than ten times the number who
attended league football matches in the same period.
 
  10 million people, drawn from all ages and social groups - use 
their public library regularly - at least once a fortnight.
 
  There are 4,759 libraries in the UK (including 693 mobile 
libraries), plus 19,136 service points in hospitals, prisons, old 
people's homes etc.
 
  There are 129,612,000 books in the public library service, 
occupying 3,600 km of shelving, 2.5 times the distance from Land's 
End to John o'Groats.
 
  Visiting the library is the FIFTH most popular pastime in the UK! 
The first four are - 1. visiting a pub, 2. eating in a restaurant, 
3. driving for pleasure and 4. eating in a fast-food restaurant.
 
 
 
 
 
 




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