Council library takeover challenges blocked

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

Two call-in challenges against a county council over its plan to bring library services back under the authority's control have been rejected.

Since 2012, libraries in Suffolk have been managed by independent charity Suffolk Libraries but now the Conservative-run Suffolk County Council is taking over the running of the 45 sites.

It has seen a public dispute between the charity and the authority, with a petition against the move being signed 23,000 times and a protest taking place.

The opposition Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent (GLI) group and the Labour group had lodged separate challenges but the council rejected both.

Call-in challenges can be lodged by councillors against council decisions. A monitoring officer, who is employed by the council in a non-political role, decides whether the challenge can progress.

If allowed, the council's scrutiny committee would debate the issue.

In the case here both challenges were deemed 'not allowed' on all points.

The GLI argument centred around four points:

• Whether the contract with Suffolk Libraries could have been extended for a period while the council retendered the contract

• If financial costs had been 'properly scoped'

• That councillors received the full background information for the decision too late to prepare a response

• That the decision should have been subject to a public consultation.

Simon Harley, the group spokesperson for communities, said: "It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the Conservative council has rejected a more independent scrutiny of this decision, also ignoring the massive petition from the people of Suffolk on legalistic grounds.

"We have no further options available to us to overturn this, but the people of Suffolk will remember this flawed decision and likely regret it for many years to come."

Sandy Martin is a former Ipswich MP

The Labour challenge raised similar points but also suggested the time left until the council takes control on 1 June would be "extremely challenging" and raised concerns that vulnerable people who use library services may see those stopped.

Labour group leader Sandy Martin said: "The Conservative council claim that all the relevant information needed to make a sensible decision was in the reports shown to the meeting.

"But the fact remains that they have never explained in detail how county council employees, on higher salaries, working for a council department that will not have charitable status, can deliver a better library service for less money than Suffolk Libraries have done."

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said: "The way our cabinet reached the decision to bring Suffolk's libraries back in house has now been thoroughly reviewed.

"This means that any suggestions that the decision was not taken properly have been rejected.

"We will now focus on keeping all 45 libraries open, maintaining current opening hours, bringing libraries staff back to the Suffolk County Council family and continuing our investment in library services."