Culture minister announces more detail for library support programme

The culture minister Ed Vaizey has announced the local authorities to participate in the first phase of a new libraries support scheme, The Future Libraries Programme.

The programme is designed to share best practice between library authorities to achieve cost savings, new partnerships and governance models, and to take advantage of digital opportunities.

Authorities announced in phase one are grouped into ten areas: Northumberland, Bolton, Bradford, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, Cornwall, Lewisham and Kensington and Chelsea.

The initial areas have been chosen for “their individual strengths, type of project, geographical spread, and rural and urban mix” the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said.

Ed Vaizey commented:

“A strong library service, based around the needs of local people, can play a key role in our ambitions to build the Big Society by providing safe and inclusive spaces for people to read, learn and access a range of community services”.

But some campaigners have warned that the programme is the start of cuts which could see many libraries having to close. Tim Coates, chair of Libraries for Life for Londoners stated that “the huge fear is that 1,000 libraries could be lost in the budget cuts and this programme does nothing to reduce that risk”.

 The Museums Libraries and Archive Council (MLA) and the Local Government Association Group (LGA Group) will begin work immediately with “packages of support and advice” for each of the projects. Planning for the second phase of the programme is underway.

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