Library inquiry comes to an end

Jun 17 2009 Heswall News

THE public inquiry into council attempts to close 11 libraries concluded on Wednesday, with a verdict expected by the end of July.

People – and the local authority – now have until June 24 to submit additional evidence, after the council altered their statement of case, particularly regarding the outreach programme, at the last minute.

Sue Charteris, was charged with discovering the best route forward for library provision by new Culture, Media and Sport minister, Ben Bradshaw MP.

As the inquiry opened, the case against closures was made by library users, politicians, unions and organisations such as The Reader.

And on the final day, Wirral Council director of regeneration, Alan Stennard was in the hotseat.

Mr Stennard was pushed on whether assessments of need were carried out by the council, ahead of the recommendations that formed a large part of the controversial Strategic Asset Review (SAR).

He conceded no specific assessments were made. Sue Charteris continued to quiz Mr Stennard for most of the morning, making it clear she was less concerned by the merits of his argument for fewer libraries, and more interested in how those conclusions had been reached and what evidence had been collected.

In the afternoon, Wirral Council’s QC Richard Clayton reminded those assembled of the remit of the inquiry, which is to determine whether the authority has breached the Libraries Act 1964.

The key requirement of this is to provide a “comprehensive and efficient service”.

Richard Clayton QC said: “’Here we are concerned with a judgement made, that makes it necessary to impose restrictions on provision to sustain a budget.

“The question is, in these circumstances, is there a breach.”

As the inquiry concluded, Craig Westwood, appearing on behalf of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The Secretary of State recognises the difficulty for local authorities in making decisions for allocation of resources.

“In the context of the current economic environment the Secretary of State does not believe library closures are inherently a bad thing but it is important library closures are taken in the context of a reasonable understanding of what local need is.”

Sue Charteris finished with: “I do leave with a very good impression of the borough.

“Thank you very much for the time and consideration you have all given me and wish me luck in being wise, as I work my way through some complex issues and try to do justice to points that have been made.”

l See how it all happened on our Libraries Inquiry liveblog! Visit wirralnews.co.uk