Subject to a formal Cabinet decision on 18 March 2025, staff running Suffolk’s library service – along with their years of experience and love for libraries - will transition to the direct employment of the council on 1 June 2025.
The county council would invest £200,000 in replacing Suffolk’s aging mobile libraries with a further £157,000 for new books and to replace public computers in libraries across Suffolk. This is in addition to the £6.6 million a year budget available for Suffolk’s libraries.
It follows an attempt to secure an external provider for a new six-year contract (with the option to extend for up to a further six years) which had to be abandoned due to difficulties in aligning submissions with the service requirements and budgets.
Following the end of the procurement process, Suffolk County Council entered negotiations with Suffolk Libraries (the current provider) to reach agreement on a shorter-term contract. The intention was to secure the immediate future of the library service from 1 June 2025, while the longer-term future was considered. However, Suffolk Libraries were unwilling to accept those terms and proposed different terms which were not acceptable to Suffolk County Council and would have breached procurement law.
In addition, serious concerns about the viability of Suffolk Libraries also surfaced. The concerns included their proposal to reduce opening hours by 30% and issues with the financial stability of the organisation. There is also concern about the cost of their head office, including senior managers, which equates to 33% of their annual staffing costs. Suffolk County Council believes that more of the library budget should be invested in frontline services.
Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for environment, communities and equality, said:
“The future of Suffolk’s 45 libraries will be in safe hands as part of our plans to protect and enhance the service.
“With these proposals, there will be no library closures, no reduction in library opening hours, and certainty and security for our most important asset - library staff and volunteers.
“Additionally, we propose new investment to buy new mobile library vehicles and upgrade computers across library sites.
“We know how important library services are to residents, particularly those who rely on them for education, access to information, support and, of course, books.
“A 30% cut to opening hours and the current management costs are unacceptable to Suffolk County Council. This is why we’re taking action. We are responsible for libraries in Suffolk and this is the right thing to do to protect them and the services they provide to residents.”
Background
- Suffolk’s library services have been delivered by Suffolk Libraries IPS since 2012, with the current contract ending on 31 May 2025.
- Suffolk County Council is the main funder of the service, with an agreed budget of £5.9 million a year. In 2023/24, Suffolk County Council increased the annual budget by £720,000 to £6.6 million a year.
- The contract to operate libraries in Suffolk had to be put out for competitive tender in 2024 as it had reached its maximum legal length.
- The procurement was abandoned due to difficulties in aligning submissions with the service requirements and budgets.
- Following the end of the procurement process, Suffolk County Council entered negotiations with Suffolk Libraries (the current provider) to reach agreement on a shorter-term contract. The intention was to secure the immediate future of the library service from 1 June 2025, while the longer-term future was considered. However, Suffolk Libraries were unwilling to accept those terms and proposed different terms which were not acceptable to Suffolk County Council and would have breached procurement law.
- In addition, serious concerns about the viability of Suffolk Libraries also surfaced. The concerns included their proposal to reduce opening hours by 30% and issues with the financial stability of the organisation. There is also concern about the cost of their head office, including senior managers, which equates to 33% of their annual staffing costs. Suffolk County Council believes that more of the library budget should be invested in frontline services.
Suffolk County Council today published two open letters explaining its proposal, one to Suffolk residents and the other to Suffolk Libraries staff, volunteers and supporters.
