Meeting documents

Details of Cabinet Member interests in District, Town and Parish Councils will be displayed in the meeting room. The Statutory Register of Member’s Interests can be inspected via the Community Governance team.

The Chair will allow members of the public to present a petition on any matter within the Cabinet’s remit. Questions or statements about any matter on the agenda for this meeting may be taken at the time when each matter is considered.

The Chair may raise any items of urgent business.

To consider the report.

DECISION

The Cabinet agreed:

1.        To adopt the Library Service Delivery Plan set out in Appendix 1 to the officer report as the basis for the delivery of the statutory ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service in Somerset from April 2019. Consideration will have taken into account the Needs Assessment set out in Appendix 2, feedback from the public consultation exercise set out in Appendix 3, and the Equalities Impact Assessment set out in Appendix 4.  A summary of the recommendations that will be implemented as a result of adopting the Library Service Delivery Plan is set out in section 2 of the officer report.

2.        To authorise the Director of Economic and Community Infrastructure Commissioning to implement, subject to further consultation where appropriate, the further savings proposals for the library service set out in section 5 of the officer report.

3.        To amend the proposed direct financial contributions to Community Library Partnerships to include (in addition to those detailed in the officer report) the following libraries: Bishops Lydeard; Bruton; Highbridge; Milbourne Port; Nether Stowey; North Petherton; South Petherton; Sunningdale, and to increase / include funding for other Community Library Partnerships to the following levels:

And to commit to on-going funding at this level for a period of 7 years (2019/20 – 2026/2027 financial years), where Community Library Partnerships are agreed for this timeframe.

4.  To reduce the library service budget for 2019/20 as set out in section 6 of the officer report and as amended at the meeting, delivering an ongoing saving of approximately £323,000 per annum to be factored into the Medium Term Financial Plan 2019/20+.

5.  To authorise the Director of Economic and Community Infrastructure Commissioning to take the actions set out in section 3 and Appendix 5 of the officer report (as amended at the meeting) to provide support to Community Library Partnerships, where such partnerships are established. Support will include the agreement of the headline terms of potential property transfers or leasing arrangements as set out in section 4 of Appendix 5 to this report, and the amended direct financial contributions set out under outcome 3 above.

6.  To note the process for taking forward Community Library Partnership discussions (summarised in Appendix 5), determined through an earlier decision by the Director for Economic and Community Infrastructure Commissioning, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Community Infrastructure. To also delegate authority for negotiating and agreeing arrangements for the delivery of Community Library Partnerships to the Director for Economic and Community Infrastructure Commissioning, within the framework  ...  view the full decision text for item 4.