Suffolk County Council aims to take libraries back in-house, Suffolk Libraries vows to fight

Why it matters: The announcement follows an abandoned procurement process for a new external provider and what the council describes as "unsuccessful negotiations" with the current provider, Suffolk Libraries, which had proposed reducing opening hours by 30%.

The big picture: The council plans to invest £200,000 in replacing Suffolk's ageing mobile libraries and a further £157,000 for new books and computer equipment, on top of the existing £6.6 million annual library budget, but Suffolk Libraries is vehemently opposed to the decision and has vowed to fight it.

What they're saying: "The future of Suffolk's 45 libraries will be in safe hands as part of our plans to protect and enhance the service," said Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for environment, communities and equality.

"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," he added.

Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries, said the organisation intends to fight the decision, stating they were “incredibly shocked, disappointed and frustrated by the announcement by Suffolk County Council" and describing it as "a bolt from the blue" and "a staggeringly short-sighted decision."

He continued:

“Suffolk Libraries has done an amazing job of running the library service in Suffolk for 12 and a half years under very challenging circumstances.  We have successfully steered the charity to become a recognised pioneer for change within the library sector and we are now regarded as a leading force within the industry. 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 groundbreaking and diverse range of services and support.

“Suffolk County Council’s decision will impact everyone in the county and indeed will send out worrying signals to the nation with regard to the future of libraries within the community. Even if you don’t use libraries, we believe the proposed change will be a very inefficient and costly process and the cost to the people of Suffolk is even higher.

“We intend to fight this decision and will comment further once we’ve had a chance to fully digest the details from today’s briefing.”

The details: Under the plan, library staff would transition to direct employment by the council following concerns about the viability of Suffolk Libraries as an organisation.

The council cited issues with the financial stability of Suffolk Libraries and concerns about their head office costs, which reportedly equate to 33% of annual staffing costs.

What's next: The proposal is subject to a formal Cabinet decision on 18 March 2025. If approved, the council will take over running the libraries from 1 June 2025.

For context: The council had initially attempted to secure an external provider for a new six-year contract but abandoned the process due to difficulties aligning submissions with service requirements and budgets.

Subsequent negotiations with Suffolk Libraries for a shorter-term contract failed when the organisation proposed terms that the council says would have breached procurement law.

The bottom line: Suffolk County Council believes that more of the library budget should be invested in frontline services rather than management costs, and promises that residents who rely on libraries for "education, access to information, support and, of course, books" will continue to have access to these services.