Issue - meetings

This paper responds to the Council Plan and the priority of ‘exploring innovative models of service delivery and increasing our skills to deliver shared service opportunities and management buyouts or social enterprise models’, looking into future options for running the Council’s Libraries and Archive Service. Cabinet are asked to approve the development of a business plan for a potential community benefit society for the services, establish a shadow board for the purpose of taking forward this work and undertake further engagement with the public and staff.

RESOLVED:       That Cabinet agree to:

i)             Development of a business plan for a potential community benefit society for the Council’s libraries and archive services.

ii)           The establishment of a shadow board for the purpose of taking forward this work.

iii)          Further engagement with the public and with staff on the proposal.

iv)         Present a report back, following the above, to identify whether it would be in the overall interests of the Council to transfer the Libraries and Archives service to a community benefits society.

REASON:           To identify the best delivery model for libraries and archive services in York.

Consideration was given to a report which examined the results of an appraisal carried out by Officers into future options for running the Council’s Libraries and Archives Service, in response to a Council Plan priority. This included details of the outcome of consultation and the successful application for assistance from the Cabinet Mutual Support Programme.

Details of public consultation undertaken via a questionnaire together with the results were reported at paragraphs 9 to 18 of the report, with the feasibility study, options considered and analysis at paragraphs 19 to 26 and at Annex1.

The vision for the community benefit society would build upon the success of the existing Explore concept with the development of a range of “explore community hubs”. Governance of the society would be by way of a legal document and a Board of Directors with membership of the society being open to anyone over the age of 16 years. The business case, development costs and full implications were reported at paragraphs 42 to 72.

The report concluded that the service could benefit from becoming a social enterprise subject to further investigation and development.

The Cabinet Member confirmed that this service was not viable in the long term, in its present form, following recent budget cuts. Widespread consultation had been undertaken and staff involvement had been ongoing and their comments incorporated in the report.

The Leader pointed out that York was the first authority in the country exploring this concept and that they would seek to provide the best service delivery model to provide the service. Following further discussion it was

RESOLVED:       That Cabinet agree to:

i)             Development of a business plan for a potential community benefit society for the Council’s libraries and archive services.

ii)            The establishment of a shadow board for the purpose of taking forward this work.

iii)          Further engagement with the public and with staff on the proposal.

iv)          Present a report back, following the above, to identify whether it would be in the overall interests of the Council to transfer the Libraries and Archives service to a community benefits society. ^1.

REASON:            To identify the best delivery model for libraries and archive services in York.