Election delays library decision

A question mark will remain over the funding for Swindon’s five remaining borough-run libraries until after the General Election.

At a cabinet meeting at the end of April, it was suggested that funding could be provided through a public services mutual.

Run as a charitable organisation, shared between the council, the local community and library staff, the mutual would oversee the running of Central, West Swindon, North Swindon, Park and Highworth libraries. This option was one of a number of delivery models considered during a review led by an outside consultancy firm with other options including in-house delivery, a council owned trading company, or using an external provider. Swindon’s core libraries moved to new staffed hours in April, with the council funding 47.5 hours a week for Central and 15 hours per week in the other libraries. Parish Councils in West Swindon, Highworth and Central Swindon South have supplemented these hours with additional funding.

Swindon Borough Council will also maintain the non-core libraries of Even Swindon, Liden, Moredon, Old Town, Penhill, Pinehurst, Upper Stratton, and Wroughton, staffed for 15 hours each a week until the end of August 2017 after which community based options are being considered.

Among this group, Covingham launched as Covingham Community Library this month thanks to the establishment of a library trust to run the facility.