Reinstate Employed Professional Support in Penkridge Library, now!

Penkridge Library is at the heart of our community, providing services and support to over 2,000 members and 5 local nurseries and schools. It is our most valued and widely used public service, led since 1965 by a team of professional staff who ensure we have a safe and welcoming space that encourages us all to thrive; from babies and new families to our wonderful senior residents!

Sadly, recent cuts by Staffordshire County Council means the loss of our librarians at the end of July 2019. At this time, Penkridge will become a community run service, relying on local volunteers to continue the high standard service that last year provided over 160 events and group activities, schools liaison and national reading schemes that are fundamental to our brilliant service.

As a community, we have fought hard to keep our service professionally led, submitting a petition of 3,200 signatures to the House of Commons in 2014, and over 1,500 responses to 3 local consultations over the last 5 years.  But now we face a new and unexpected fight; to ensure our locally-elected Parish Councillors keep their promises, respect the wishes of the local community, and support our service to be the best it can be.

Knowing our library would lose our staff, we approached Penkridge Parish Council in July 2018 to ask for their support, and to consider placing a bid on behalf of the village to partner with our library. This resulted in nearly 6 months of discussion that included weekly stakeholder meetings, debates  (and often votes) at 10 Full Council meetings and a multitude of other meetings required to ensure a democratic and transparent process. In the end, not only did the Council win the tender to help our community library, but they also voted to allocate funding (by raising the local Precept taxes) to employ a part-time professional library coordinator to support the volunteers, liaise with the partners and ensure our library service continued without deficit.

Sounds great! 

Yet, on 13th June, having reached a milestone for our library, and local democracy, 7 members of the Parish Council tabled a motion to rescind all decisions regarding this library position, pocketing the taxes allocated for this role, and betraying the trust of local residents and library users by undoing one year's work in one night!

This manner in which this decision was made is deeply concerning. No attempt was made to consult with any village residents, library users or volunteers, depsite representation on the Library Steering Committee, and the presence of over 30 people in the public gallery. This behaviour signifies a complete lack of interest in the wishes of the local community, or the value our community derives from a professional and comprehensive library service, despite these being repeatedly demonstrated over many years. 

We therefore demand that Penkridge Parish Council uses the designated Precept monies to immediately employ a professional library coordinator (as defined by library users); without which we state no confidence in their role as representatives of our community, or their continued involvement with the transfer of Penkridge library to community-management.

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A copy of the full petition wording, as used on paper petitions in the community follows below. For more information on this issue and to view local newspaper reports, please follow us on Facebook!

Thank you for your support.

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We, the undersigned, consider the immediate employment of a skilled library coordinator (as promised by Penkridge Parish Council in the successful partnership bid, and already funded by parishioners through an increased precept charge, allocated from 2019/20) to be essential for the continuation of the comprehensive and professional-standard library service in Penkridge. Establishing this role fulfils the wishes of library users and residents (as demonstrated in previous petitions and consultations from 2014-18); and provides the fundamental expertise required for our library, our volunteers and our service to thrive without deficit, and most dutifully meet the needs of our community.              

Recent moves to rescind this role by Penkridge Parish Council, without public consultation, is a betrayal of trust that shows a lack of concern for constituents and library users, or the benefits our community derives from a professionally-led service. Without immediate remedy, I declare 'no confidence' in my representation by Penkridge Parish Council, or their continued involvement with the transfer of Penkridge library to community-management.