Aylesbury Vale charity has 'major safety concerns' over proposed library redundancies and cuts

The chair of the Friends of Buckingham Library, Roger Edwards, has penned an open letter expressing his concerns with changes to library services in Buckinghamshire.

A consultation period is ongoing, with the council asking for feedback on plans to significantly cut back staffing in its libraries. Instead of having libraries run by librarians, the council is exploring using self-service technology to save staffing costs.

Reports from the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service state the move could save the council £555,000 a year. But this could lead to between 18-20 redundancies.

One councillor raised concerns around how vulnerable people might struggle to use the modern technology. A now retired, former librarian of 30-plus years slammed the move saying it would ruin the whole ethos of what libraries are meant to stand for as community hubs.

Now, Roger has raised the alarm over how safe these buildings, which also act as social havens, will be if no members of staff are on-site.

Bucks Council says that extensive research has been put into the proposals and that a number of measures will keep these libraries safe. Visitors will have to complete card and PIN protocols to get into the building, CCTV systems will be monitored, and alarms will be used.

Roger said in his letter: “How safe will people feel using a library with no staff on hand if there are problems? And, how certain are you that people who are not library members, but maybe see an opportunity for a warm place to doss down or have a “bit of fun”, will not piggyback in behind a genuine library user? Also, what will be the situation with regard to insurance for unstaffed use of the library by anyone who has use of a library card?

“It must be recognised that Buckingham Library is in a building shared by the Town Council and Adult Education. What would be the impact on non-library areas of the building?”

Roger also identified other issues regarding helping people who may be seeking assistance learning to read, and for the librarians whose livelihoods could be at risk as a result of the move.

Previously, Bucks Council leader Martin Tett has said the council is under “massive financial pressure” for the current year, and elsewhere in the UK authorities have effectively declared bankruptcy such are the challenges of providing countywide services.

In a meeting covered by the LDRS, Councillor Tett said he was ‘uncomfortable’ with the move, but that the council had to make ‘difficult decisions to balance the budget’.

Councillor Clive Harris said: “Staff would still be available for the majority of the current opening hours to assist customers; overall there would be a reduction in staffed hours of approximately 25% - 30%. Whilst we are reducing staff hours we are improving the access times and services for the whole county.

“Forty-five other library services around the country are already using self-operated library technology and extensive research has already taken place to learn from their experiences including in managing safety.

"We know that many customers value convenience; therefore, enabling self-serve access at different times has the potential to attract different users, such as commuters, students and working families who may not have been able to access us during our current hours.”

The consultation period is open until 18 September, further details on the changes can be found online.