Council to manage libraries after contract dispute

Philip Faircloth-Mutton said it was "the right thing to do" to take the library service back under council control

A county council has said it will bring the running of its libraries back in-house after it failed to agree terms with its private contractor.

Independent charity Suffolk Libraries has run the service since 2012, which now has 45 locations.

Suffolk County Council said the charity had proposed unacceptable terms for the new contract and that the libraries would now be "in safe hands".

Bruce Leeke, chief executive of Suffolk Libraries, said his team was "incredibly shocked" and "disappointed".

Suffolk Libraries' contract with the Conservative-run county council was due to run out on 31 May.

A formal procurement process was started last year.

The council said the charity proposed cutting opening hours by 30% and there was concern about the cost of its head office, which it said equated to 33% of annual staffing costs.

Philip Faircloth-Mutton, the cabinet member responsible for libraries, said the decision was "the right thing to do".

"The future of Suffolk's 45 libraries will be in safe hands as part of our plans to protect and enhance the service," he said.

He said no libraries would close and there would be no reduction in opening hours.

The council would not be drawn on whether jobs would be at risk, but said the announcement would provide "certainty and security for our most important asset - library staff and volunteers".

A total of £200,000 would be invested in replacing Suffolk's aging mobile libraries and a further £157,000 for new books and on replacing public computers, the council said.

This was in addition to the £6.6m budget that was available for Suffolk's libraries, the council continued.

Bruce Leeke said Suffolk Libraries intended to "fight this decision"

Mr Leeke said the announcement was a "bolt from the blue" and said Suffolk Libraries had done "an amazing job" under "very challenging circumstances".

"We have successfully steered the charity to become a recognised pioneer for change within the library sector," he said.

"We currently have one of the best run library services in the country which has saved millions of pounds of taxpayers' money, increased the impact and value of libraries and ultimately made Suffolk a better place to live by offering residents access to a ground breaking and diverse range of services and support.

"We intend to fight this decision".

The library service has been run by the independent charity for more than a decade

Opposition groups on the council were also concerned.

Simon Harley - spokesperson responsible for public health and libraries for the Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent group - said the council had not significantly increased its library service budget for more than 10 years.

"With rising costs of providing any service it's not surprising Suffolk Libraries are unable to continue to provide the people of Suffolk with the level of service that they deserve," he said.

It was "likely" jobs would go, he added.

In a joint statement, three Labour MPs for Suffolk said the council had made a "rushed decision" and they would seek "urgent clarification".

Jack Abbott, Jess Asato and Jenny Riddell-Carpenter said: "Regardless of the merits of Suffolk County Council's case, it is completely unacceptable for decisions of such gravity to be made based on disputed figures and with only 15 minutes notice to Suffolk Libraries."

The council plans to bring the service in-house as of 1 June.

Cabinet members will need to rubber stamp the decision at a meeting on 18 March.