Moray Library Closures
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-08484, in the name of Stewart Stevenson, on Moray library closures. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament condemns Moray Council’s decision to remove a mobile library from service and close the libraries in Findochty, Hopeman, Portknockie and Rothes; believes that the decision to close four of its 15 libraries could have an adverse impact on families with young children and both older and disabled people; believes that libraries play a valuable role in communities and that the proposed closures would have a detrimental impact on education and learning and restrict access in rural communities to information technology services; further believes that this is particularly concerning as, it understands, the UK Government is increasingly making access to many services online only; notes that the Scottish Library and Information Council has commissioned a review of the Public Library Quality Improvement Matrix, which examines the quality of such services, and recognises the work of the Save our Libraries Moray campaign and others, which aims to bring together the communities affected by the council’s decision.
17:34
It is thought that the oldest library in the world was that at Ebla in Syria and that it was founded more than 4,500 years ago. It was based in what was then and is again a turbulent area of the world. After its destruction it remained unknown until the discovery of the text of an international treaty, inscribed on a clay tablet, in what people later realised was a library. Today it is a derelict archaeological site.
Today’s changes for libraries in Moray are less dramatic, but the effects of closure can be profound for the communities of Findochty, Hopeman, Portknockie and Rothes. Closure removes a source of knowledge, diminishes opportunities for learning and reduces access to vital infrastructure such as the internet.
The initial proposals, which were passed by the Tory and independent councillors who run Moray Council, were to be even more draconian and were in clear breach of equalities legislation. Thankfully, some sense was restored when the legal consequences became more obvious to administration councillors. A vigorous community-led campaign, represented in the public gallery this evening by members of the save our libraries Moray campaign, showed just how disconnected the council had become from some of the communities that it must serve.
Lord Wellington, a Tory Prime Minister until he lost office over reform in 1830, was strongly opposed to education for all as he feared the consequences of knowledge. I absolutely do not suggest that today’s Tories hold his views, but the effects of their cuts carry the risk of a journey to increased ignorance—just, perhaps, what Wellington might have wished.
For a party of business there are also practical effects to deplore. In rural Scotland, access to broadband can be limited or absent. For businesses big enough to pay VAT, and now required to submit their accounts online, loss of access to the internet via their local library is more than a mere inconvenience. When they have to travel further to access a terminal in a library, it takes time out of running a business, increases costs and risks default on tight HM Revenue & Customs rules.
For the unemployed, access to the internet is vital to get access to the benefits to which they are entitled. Of course, the unemployed are much less likely to have access to the internet in their own home. Moray Council itself relies on the internet: people who want to get a council house use that means of accessing that council service in increasing numbers. Libraries are not simply about books.
In my constituency, the communities of Findochty and Portknockie now have no library. My colleague Richard Lochhead, who is in Brussels tonight, texted me to share his similar concern about the communities of Hopeman and Rothes in the area that he represents.
The closures are driven by the need to manage the council’s costs. When the Opposition in this place demands more money to mitigate the effects of cuts from the Tory-Lib Dem Westminster Government, we on the Government benches always ask from where that money should come. I will avoid the trap of proposing more expenditure without proposing from where it should come.
The council has proposals for a link road in Moray. Not to proceed with that would be an easy cut for the council to make. It would save much more than is needed to keep the libraries open and it would open for the council a wide range of other options that their current spending plans deny it. It would respond to genuine and significant public concern about the proposed route for the new road, and cancellation would protect important parts of the local environment.
Richard Lochhead and I joined road and library campaigners on the march and rally in Elgin on 12 October. It was abundantly clear that the council’s current choices are not popular with a significant part of the Moray community.
For the cabinet secretary who will respond to tonight’s debate, it is easier than it sometimes is, because it is not for her to direct Moray Council’s policy on libraries. I do not expect to hear that she will change her approach to that. However, it might be useful to hear what value and benefits the Scottish Government thinks are delivered by libraries.
Is it not appropriate that we are having this debate on a day when, in our Parliament, we have an exhibition concerning a person who might be the patron saint of libraries, Andrew Carnegie, who, of course, was responsible for many libraries across Scotland?
On independence day, 4 July 1962, John F Kennedy said:
“to govern is to choose.”
The responsibilities and opportunities of Moray Council are, of course, substantially less than those of JFK, but the council’s politicians share with him a duty to serve. Making the right decision can enhance the lustre and reputation of those who make it—even though, in this case, doing the right thing will make it even more difficult for me to challenge my political opponents in future.
In governing, I suggest to Moray Council that it is time to choose libraries rather than roads.
17:41
I congratulate Stewart Stevenson on securing the debate, and pay tribute to the save our libraries Moray campaign group, and welcome members of the group to the gallery. I met the group, and the people are thoughtful and hardworking and are passionate about retaining their library services. They have already saved three of the threatened libraries and continue to look for ways of saving the others.
Libraries are an essential service. They are places where people learn and can access information. They are a true equaliser, especially when those who cannot afford computers or internet connections are liable to be left behind. A local library can provide that access. Internet access is also important to businesses and local communities. As Stewart Stevenson said, VAT returns are now dealt with online, and the Scottish Government also asks people to apply to the rural development fund online. In some small communities, a library is the only source of an internet connection, because there is no broadband. By providing services online, Governments and councils can save money, but those who cannot access the internet stand to be left behind. Without libraries, the situation would be much worse.
Libraries are also places that give pleasure. There is something indulgent about sitting down and sticking your head in a good book. That is something that we perhaps do not all get a chance to do very often, but libraries ensure that that pleasure is available to all.
The equalities impact assessment was clear that the closure of Burghead, Cullen and Dufftown libraries—which have now been saved—would have impacted on equalities in those villages. However, from speaking to people who live in Rothes and use the library there, I know that they strongly believe that the impact assessment for their library was not carried out properly. It was conducted at the wrong time and there was little information about the assessment.
There is also a cost attached to the closure of the libraries. The libraries in Rothes and Hopeman have received European Union funding, and some of that will have to be repaid, at a cost of around £41,000. Had they been kept open for two more years, no repayment would have had to be made. Of course, we must also take account of the money that will be wasted, in terms of the match funding and the money that has already been drawn down. Surely that cost offsets much of the saving over the period.
A longer period of reflection would allow alternatives to be explored with regard to how we make use of those libraries and make them more cost effective. No one is arguing that the council has to find savings. The unfunded council tax freeze means that councils are facing tough decisions about how they fund vital services. However, I would have hoped that the council would have worked with everyone in the community, especially people such as those in the save our libraries Moray campaign group, who are keen to be proactive and find solutions.
I understand that the campaign group is now exploring the possibility of pursuing the community asset transfer route for Hopeman library, to provide a community hub as well as a library and internet access services. I commend it for that. I hope that it will receive support from the council and the Scottish Government to do that, which would allow at least some provision in the village. I very much hope that solutions can be found to the problems.
17:44
l start by referring members to two entries in my register of interests: I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and the chair of the Scottish Library and Information Council.
I thank Stewart for bringing this debate—and not just on behalf of the library users of Moray and the campaigners who are here with us tonight. The passion of the library users of Moray was shown in the march and rally that Stewart referred to. For me, as a librarian, it is wonderful to be at a debate where I am listening to people such as Stewart Stevenson and Rhoda Grant laud libraries and say how important they are. I am sure that other members will impress me just as much with their enthusiasm for libraries.
To be very technical, when we look at library services, we have to go back to the 1887 legislation, which states that local authorities must provide an adequate library service for all.
There is no definition of what an adequate library service is, but for many years SLIC has looked at how we assess a library service and how we allow such services in Scotland to benchmark themselves against each other in order to reach at least a working definition of adequacy of library services. Stewart Stevenson’s motion talks about the public library quality improvement matrix, which we use to carry out assessment and benchmarking. I want to get a bit technical and refer to the matrix. As Stewart Stevenson’s motion states, the matrix is under review and one of the things that will be reviewed is its name. We will not call it PLQIM anymore; its name will be clear.
There are seven quality indicators for assessing libraries in Scotland. Previously when we looked at libraries, Moray came out as one of our five-star services. I found it quite interesting to take my seven quality indicators and cross-reference them with the paper that Moray Council wrote on 10 September 2013. I want to highlight a few indicators to show that Moray’s five-star library status is definitely in danger. Indeed, not only is its five-star status in danger; I believe that it will no longer be providing an adequate library service. Therefore, Moray Council will not be meeting the legislative requirements, whether we have a definition of adequacy or not.
Quality indicator 1 is on access to information and refers to access to current information resources. A library service would get a very low rating if
“Access to current information resources is limited ... Minimal provision is made”—
and—
“This provision is not actively promoted by staff.”
The council’s paper states in paragraph 3.1 that it will end up providing
“a library service at the minimal level required by the Council”.
I do not have time to go through the other six quality indicators, but that one example shows, I think, that Moray Council really has to think very carefully before it proceeds any further along this route.
Librarians campaigned for library services, not for buildings. The demise of the book has been predicted for almost the whole of my library career of over 35 years and it has not happened in the digital age, so the buildings in which libraries are housed are still important, because we cannot yet provide a virtual library service without libraries to provide it from.
I remind members to use full names when referring to colleagues.
17:49
I remind Stewart Stevenson that a majority of Moray councillors, including the planning convener, voted against the Elgin link road last week.
Like others, I welcome this opportunity to discuss the difficult budget decisions that Moray Council’s independent-Conservative administration has to take to make the 11 per cent, or £30 million, reduction in its budget by 2017. I know that all Moray councillors would like to save and enhance the services that they currently supply, but that is not an option.
The independent-Conservative administration undertook a thorough consultation process with the public over several months, and unfortunately library provision was ranked lower than many other services by people in Moray. Although the administration has been criticised for the closure of the libraries, the Labour group agreed to seven of the library closures in February; by September, it suggested that four should close; and, in November, it said that they should all stay open.
At least Labour councillors in Moray offered some input to the budget debate, however. In February, the SNP group said that it had not had enough time or information to make the budget decisions, despite having the same time, access to officers and budget papers as everyone else. The SNP opposed all the library closures but offered no alternatives at all for savings—I take Stewart Stevenson’s reasonable point on that issue. Nine months later, the SNP had still not come forward with any savings to save the libraries. Back in February, Stewart Stevenson condemned Moray Council for planning to close seven out of eight libraries in Moray, clearly oblivious to the fact that Moray has 15 libraries, not eight.
The Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs then intervened, criticising the decisions that were taken by the council, which prompted the president of COSLA, Councillor David O’Neill, to write to the cabinet secretary, on 16 October, in response to her press release. He stated:
“I was astonished and angry when I saw what you apparently had to say on the matter not only because it is clearly a local matter”—
which is something that we are often told in the chamber.
Will the member give way?
I am sorry, but I cannot—I have only one and a half minutes left.
The letter continues:
“faced with the finances that your Government and councils have, demand for our services will always outstrip our ability to pay”.
Councillor David O’Neill finishes by saying:
“I do not accept that you as a Government Minister, irrespective of your remit, should be involving the Government in something over which you can have only limited knowledge or understanding and is for decision through local democratic and accountable structures.”
I agree with COSLA.
Mr Stevenson may also wish to condemn the SNP councillors in Perth and Kinross who have supported cuts to the council’s cultural services of £281,000, including library closures. SNP-led West Dunbartonshire Council closed three of its libraries—
Mrs Scanlon, I am afraid that the debate is about Moray library closures. Could you please return to that subject?
Yes. At the end of the day, we know that difficult decisions must be made, and Moray Council will save £286,000 annually through the budget savings in the library service.
The area-based review has been set up since that experience. It includes councillors in Moray from every grouping on the council. They are working collectively and collaboratively to achieve the savings that are required over the next few years by looking at service sharing and other initiatives.
I also welcome the campaigners who are in the public gallery today. They have shown great spirit in their campaign and engage with many people in Moray. They are passionate about libraries, and I commend them for it. They can take a great deal of credit and satisfaction from the fact that, because of their efforts, Moray still has 11 out of 15 libraries.
Moray Council has many more difficult decisions to make, but I trust that it has learned from its experiences with library closures and can now move forward, working together as an entire council to make the best decisions for the people of Moray against the background of ever-diminishing resources and increasing demands. We should all respect local decision making.
17:54
I add my congratulations to Stewart Stevenson for securing a debate on this important subject. Libraries are vital for many communities throughout Scotland, enhancing social cohesion, supporting and empowering community groups and encouraging lifelong learning. I represent South Scotland, which is a predominantly rural area, like Moray, where the ability to travel long distances, often without the assistance of reliable public transport, determines an individual’s quality of life. In communities such as those that I represent, mobile libraries are of great value to people who are, themselves, less mobile.
The people who have been found to be most reliant on those services in various client surveys that have been conducted across the country, such as over-65s and mothers with young children, are already being disproportionately hit by Westminster’s austerity agenda and cuts to public services.
A recent library customer survey that was carried out in East Lothian in my region found that 67 per cent of library users were female and that 30 per cent of the total number of customers were over the age of 65. In the light of that, I was alarmed to hear that East Lothian Council, as Moray Council did, is giving consideration to proposals to cut library services—particularly mobile library services—in the area.
Ms McAlpine, as I said to Ms Scanlon, the debate is specifically on library closures in Moray.
Right.
Two vehicles serve communities and individuals in the county whose access to libraries might otherwise be limited. The places that are served by those mobile libraries include sheltered housing, old people’s homes, suburbs of some towns, farm cottages, villages, rural schools and play groups. Both mobile libraries have a fortnightly route calendar.
There has been no public consultation on the proposals and, as members can imagine, they are causing some alarm in the rural villages of the county. The discontinuation of one vehicle might deliver a saving of £5,000 a year for the council, but mobile libraries have been found to provide a service to the affected communities at a fraction of the cost of static services. Although I accept that in these tough economic times local authorities must choose carefully how to spend limited funds, I urge authorities such as East Lothian Council and Moray Council to use what resources they have wisely and to protect the most valued services at the heart of our communities.
At a national level, the Scottish Government has strived to do that. In the face of a budget cut of £3.1 billion—or 9.9 per cent—over the current five-year spending review period, it has successfully prioritised and protected our national health service and abolished tuition fees while fully funding a council tax freeze that, by 2017, will have saved the average band D household £1,682. In comparison with the way in which the Scottish Government has been treated by the United Kingdom Government, local government has been treated fairly under the current Scottish Administration. As the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth announced last week, in 2014-15 and 2015-16 the local government finance settlements will be maintained at around £10.6 billion.
Ms McAlpine, I would be grateful if you could return to the subject of Moray library closures before you conclude.
The protection of local authority funding has meant that in Scotland we have not yet seen the mass of library closures the likes of which have been ubiquitous throughout the rest of the UK.
A preliminary scoping study that was conducted in March to gauge the extent and impact of local authority efficiency savings showed considerable variety across Scotland, but the position compares favourably with that in other parts of the UK, where closures have been more common. That is to be welcomed, but we must do more to prevent library closures.
Before I call the minister, I remind all members that when members’ business debates are on a specific subject, they should stick to that subject, particularly given that people will have come along to hear a debate on that specific subject.
17:58
I, too, congratulate Stewart Stevenson on securing the debate. The motion highlights the many areas in which libraries have a real impact on our lives. For that reason, I think that it is an important issue to cover.
The proposal to close libraries in Moray has been a high-profile one. The council has decided to keep three of the branches open, although it is still shutting four and withdrawing one mobile service. Ultimately, it is a decision for Moray Council’s elected members, but I wrote to the council to express my concern and I urged it to reconsider.
The provision of library services is a matter for local authorities and the Scottish Government has no statutory powers or duties in relation to libraries. However, I point out to Mary Scanlon that some of the budget pressures that are being reflected have come from the allocation from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition in Westminster. The Scottish Government has protected local authority spending in Scotland to such an extent that it is now a higher proportion of our total budget than it was when we came into office. I also point out that the library closures in Moray Council equate to the number for the whole of Scotland in 2012-13, which perhaps gives a perspective on the issue.
The Scottish Government believes that it is vital that adequate library services are provided for the good of communities across Scotland. We support the Scottish Library and Information Council to offer leadership to the sector, and through a partnership with it we have supported the development of the public library quality improvement matrix, as we heard from Fiona McLeod, to help evaluate library services and deliver quality provision that meets the needs of the communities that they serve. I remind Mary Scanlon and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that SLIC’s responsibility is to inform and advise Government, which it does very well.
Traditionally, public libraries have loaned books. Recent figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy show that although loans of books are declining—down by 8.5 per cent—importantly the number of visits remains high at over 28 million per year. Libraries offer us not only books but much more besides, and I want to highlight two areas where they make a particularly significant contribution.
One area is the move to an increasingly online world, to which Rhoda Grant referred. In this digital age, libraries can and do play a pivotal role in helping people to take their first steps into the digital world. The Scottish Government is committed to increasing digital participation, and we are working with partners across the public, private and third sectors to develop innovative programmes that will be responsive to people’s needs and offer, where possible, a choice of locations to best support learning requirements. Libraries play an important role in that because they provide equipment and internet access for those who do not have it, and training for those who are unsure of how to go about getting online. People without information technology skills increasingly see the library as a first point of contact. As the motion recognises, people are increasingly expected to use online services in the UK Government’s welfare system.
The Scottish Government’s work with SLIC supports libraries to fully engage with the digital participation agenda. The £500,000 annual public library improvement fund has allowed digital projects to be delivered in, around and by public libraries across Scotland, ranging from beginners classes on basic IT to more advanced accredited courses that target all age groups, from the pre-school age—the cyber tots—to our older population of silver surfers. I commend SLIC for its on-going work in that area and its support for the agenda.
The second area where libraries make a significant impact is the development of good literacy skills. The Scottish Government recognises that a successful country requires strong and secure literacy skills. Our literacy action plan highlights the importance of reading as a valued activity from an early age and the benefits of reading in the home. The plan’s vision is to improve literacy levels for all, from the early years through to adulthood, and support those with the lowest levels of literacy, breaking the well-evidenced link between poverty and deprivation, and poor literacy skills. That vision will require sustained commitment and continuing action at all levels of government, and support at all points of the education system and wider public services, including of course libraries.
The plan’s delivery and impact is being overseen by the standing literacy commission, chaired by the chief medical officer for Scotland, Sir Harry Burns. In September 2012, the standing literacy commission published an interim progress report on the literacy action plan that said about libraries:
“Libraries in Scotland have a key role to play in improving literacy, as well as promoting a love of reading and books.”
We support a number of schemes in Scotland that are aimed at encouraging people to read. For example, there is the bookbug, the Scottish Book Trust’s early years programme; the play, talk, read campaign, which encourages parents and carers to play, talk and read more with their babies and young children; and, for the second time, book week Scotland, which was successful recently in promoting reading to all ages across Scotland. For the book week, 650 events were held across Scotland, including six in Moray, and Elgin library hosted the prize giving for the October reading challenge with the children’s writer, Eleanor Updale.
I am proud to say that with SLIC’s support, all local authorities took part in the book week; projects ranged from a film night in Bridgeton in Glasgow to an evening with Christopher Brookmyre in Saltcoats; Edinburgh central library and Glasgow’s Mitchell library hosted pop-up book shops; and Kirkcaldy museum and library had an interactive murder mystery night that was based on the Ann Cleeves novel “The Glass Room”, in which performers took on the role of the main suspects. There was something for everyone, both young and old.
The role of public library services in supporting literacy should not be underestimated. Where better to encourage reading than in public libraries, which remain one of the free universal services that operate at the heart of communities across Scotland? In 2012-13, they loaned almost 22 million items and provided over 8 million hours of internet access. Saturday 8 February is national libraries day, and I think that we should all look for opportunities on that day and beyond to promote the work of libraries if we want to show how much their services are valued within our communities.
Interestingly, the Scottish household survey found that reading for pleasure remains the most popular cultural activity in Scotland. It is enjoyed by 63 per cent of the adult population, and a visit to the library is the third most popular type of cultural activity, at 29 per cent, after films and live music. I find it hard to believe that the experience of Moray is an exception to that experience in the rest of Scotland.
Libraries loan almost 22 million items a year, as I have mentioned, and they received more than 28 million visits in 2012-13. A vibrant library service is being delivered in Scotland. We have a great deal to look forward to, with new and innovative services, but they must be there for communities to use them. As Stewart Stevenson’s motion recognises, our libraries are something to be proud of, and we should continue to support them.
Meeting closed at 18:05.