Library cuts delay confirmed

Cuts worth £300,000 to York’s library service have been delayed meaning it will have to find double that amount in savings next year, the council has confirmed.

Explore York, which runs the city’s libraries and archives, will have to cut £600,000 next year rather than over two as originally planned.

Culture Executive Member Cllr Pete Kilbane said he was confident Explore would continue to deliver a comprehensive service despite cuts which are needed to help balance York Council’s budget.

But Liberal Democrat Cllr Darryl Smalley, who oversaw libraries during the previous council administration, said the delay showed the cuts had failed at the first hurdle and should be scrapped.

The delay of £300,000 in cuts to Explore’s contract this years follows the approval of the overall £600,000 reduction in funding by the council in February.

Labour’s Cllr Jo Coles, executive member for health at the time, said the 15-year contract agreed by a Conservative and Liberal Democrat administration in 2019 was completely unaffordable.

But Explore Chief Executive Jenny Layfield said prior to the approval of the cuts in February’s budget that the organisation would not accept them.

She added Explore was not a part of the council and its contract could only be cut with the agreement of both parties.

The council has since had discussions with Explore and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport about the cuts.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the council informed them of reductions to their library needs assessments in line with good practice.

Explore declined to comment on the delaying of the £300,000 cuts planned for this year.

Explore was set up in 2014 and runs 15 libraries, including York Explore in Library Square which houses the city’s archives on the council’s behalf.

It also runs five reading cafés, a mobile library and home service and it employs more than 80 people.

Culture Executive Member Cllr Kilbane said they were working with Explore to ensure the process followed to deliver the savings is appropriate and legal.

He added both parties understood savings needed to be found and libraries had not faced any cuts since 2014 despite a budget black hole in the council’s finances growing to £44m.

Cllr Kilbane said: “This is a difficult situation, with neither York Council nor Explore wanting to make cuts.

“We remain confident Explore can deliver a comprehensive library service after meeting this savings target.

“Having left the council on a precipice,the Liberal Democrats continue to sleepwalk through the reality of a council budget that in real terms is tens of millions lower than it was in 2010.”

But Cllr Smalley said more than 3,000 people had signed the opposition group’s petition opposing the cuts, showing the depth of feeling on the issue.

The Liberal Democrat added the council should scrap the cuts and focus on protecting libraries as vital community hubs.

Cllr Smalley said: “It’s truly astonishing that Labour’s Council bosses thought that they could cut £300,000 from York Explore’s contract unilaterally.

“If they intend to go ahead with this cut, Labour must now set out which services they will no longer provide.

“Which libraries will close? Will they axe the mobile library? How many librarians will be made redundant? Residents deserve to know.”