Further to minute 68 (30 January 2012), the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Finance reported upon the initial feedback from the recent Library Strategy “Wirral Libraries – A New Chapter” consultation and highlighted how the responses would be taken into account in the Strategy. The consultation process ran from 26 January to 29 February 2012 and the Director indicated that 385 people engaged in the face to face library survey sessions, 30 people attended the library consultation evening and 1,465 consultation forms had been completed and returned by 29 February 2012. Although the total number of surveys continued to increase, preliminary analysis indicated that respondents –

·  were overwhelmingly supportive of the value of a written strategy for the library service;

·  considered that the strategy fitted Wirral’s needs;

·  were in favour of the initiative to bring together library and One Stop Shop provision.

The most significant response to the consultation in terms of public comment related to proposed changes in opening hours, although responses varied from location to location. He indicated that the main feature in the draft proposal to redistribute hours was a plan to extend the opening hours of all libraries to six days a week. He referred to the changes in opening hours that were required to facilitate the proposal and commented that analysis of feedback suggested that more people asked for libraries to retain an evening opening than actually used them. The view was that although some respondents did not use the evening opening themselves, they felt that it should be there for those that wished to do so.

The Director set out a number of options that had presented themselves for further consideration and he assured Members that the Strategy would be reviewed in the light of the consultation outcomes, particularly in relation to opening hours.

Members commented that evening opening hours were essential for schoolchildren to do homework and, particularly in deprived areas, to have access to a computer. In addition, for some working people, evenings could be their only opportunity to visit their local library.

Resolved –

(1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That a further report be presented to a future meeting following a review of the Strategy in the light of consultation outcomes in relation to opening hours.