Mayor backs Tri borough approach to protecting libraries

Tuesday December 6, 2011

L-R: Peter Andre and Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, Leader of H&F Council, at Shepherds Bush Library

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Boris Johnson visited Shepherds Bush Library today (Tuesday, December 6) to launch his Team London ‘Love Libraries' scheme, which will see people recruited over the next six months to help local communities get even more out of their local library through new services and activities.

Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) is applying to be part of the scheme, which will build upon the innovative practice of using volunteers to deliver more services, which in other boroughs has led to more Londoners using their libraries and more books being taken out.

Flanked by musician and children's author, Peter Andre, the Mayor took time out to highlight the innovative 'Tri-borough' approach championed by H&F, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster councils.

The three flagship councils have combined the management and back office of their library teams in a move that has secured the future of all 21 public libraries in the area and saved taxpayers more than £1million a year for just library services.

In addition to the huge cash saving, the agreement means that residents will be given access to around one million books across all three boroughs, hundreds of entertainment and cultural events and scores of weekly skills and education classes.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Libraries are a gateway to a world of knowledge, providing inspiration, creativity and fun. In an age when so many local authorities are closing their branches this innovative Tri-borough approach deserves rich praise and should be used as an example for others to follow. ”

The Mayor also paid a visit to the Bush Theatre’s new home just a stone throws away at the old Shepherds Bush Library. The theatre had been looking for a new base for many years and the council handed over the building in November 2010. Since then, the building has been transformed into a theatre at zero cost to the taxpayer.

He continued: “By providing a library and a new theatre at zero cost to the taxpayer, Hammersmith & Fulham is creating a cultural utopia in the heart of Shepherds Bush.”

Latest figures show around 400 libraries in the UK are under threat of closure due to the national debt crisis. In London, fewer closures are expected than first feared because councils are thinking imaginatively about how to protect the front line library service while making necessary savings.

Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, Leader of H&F Council, said: “By combining the overheads needed to run the library service with our neighbours we are making more books and a better service available to our residents while saving taxpayers' cash. This is the common sense approach instead of simply shutting libraries."

“Literacy provides the cornerstone for a flourishing, civil society and these new arrangements will give young people greater access to libraries.

“We commend the Mayor’s exciting volunteering programme and look forward to introducing it across all the borough's libraries.”

Shepherds Bush Library, situated at Westfield opened in September 2009 and has seen a 300 per cent increase in membership compared to the branch that it replaced. The £2million library was built at zero cost to the taxpayer, as the council stipulated that Westfield would need to build it when planning consent for the shopping centre was granted.

The Tri-borough library scheme is part of wider project to combine some council services across the three boroughs in a bid to save £33million a year by 2014/15.

The project is on track to deliver its first £1million of savings by cutting senior management roles. In addition, Derek Myers has taken up post as ‘bi-borough’ joint chief executive for H&F and Kensington and Chelsea in a move that will save the two authorities £200,000 a year.

Boris Johnson and Peter Andre also visited the library's Work Zone. Work Zone was officially opened in September 2009 delivering recruitment and skills training to local residents and businesses across the borough and beyond. To date, it has successfully placed 536 people into jobs working with over 120 employers and trained 218 people in sector based training leading to job opportunities. Additionally, Work Zone staff have delivered information advice and guidance to over 1,269 people with CV support and job search coaching for interviews.

L-R: Peter Andre and Boris Johnson at Shepherds Bush Library

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