Public Interest Lawyers launches legal action over county council library cuts

Claimants in Gloucestershire and Somerset have launched legal challenges against the two county councils’ plans for the future of their library services.

Somerset County Council first suggested that some 20 of its 34 libraries were at risk of closure. It also proposed that its mobile libraries could be reduced from six to two.

The authority then announced on 25 January that nearly half of the 20 threatened libraries might now be saved, with a further five given a year’s grace to allow communities time to take them over. Six still face closure later in 2011 as Somerset seeks to save £1.35m on its library service.

Gloucestershire CC meanwhile originally said it planned to reduce the number of libraries with full opening hours from 38 to 9 and to end its mobile library service for persons in rural areas.

However, it has also announced plans to revise its original budget of £4.8m for libraries upwards to £500,000. The additional funds will mean extra opening hours for the county’s Library Express services.

The claimants, who are being advised by high-profile law firm Public Interest Lawyers, argue that the councils’ reliance on Big Society community-transfer initiatives conflicted with their statutory obligation to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service.

PIL also claimed in its letters before action that the two authorities failed to consult properly with local people prior to making the cuts, and had also failed to pay proper attention to the needs of vulnerable groups.

The law firm described the scale of the cuts in both counties as “excessive” and more than twice the percentage reduction in central government funding.

“Thousands of people in Gloucestershire and Somerset will either lose their local libraries, or, at best, will experience a dramatic reduction in opening hours,” it said, adding that the public had made clear its opposition when asked.

PIL’s Phil Shiner said: “Libraries are the heart of communities up and down the country. Councils cannot pin their hopes on vague notions of the ‘big society’ when they are required by Parliament to maintain a comprehensive and efficient library service for everyone in the county. That means everyone, including single mothers, the disabled, the elderly and those living in rural areas.”

Shiner’s colleague, Leigh Webber, claimed that the councils’ consultations had been “rushed through” to enable the authorities to approve their budgets. “This has meant that Gloucestershire and Somerset have been unable even to adequately assess the needs of local people, never mind consult them properly about the changes,” he added.

However, both Somerset and Gloucestershire insisted – when unveiling their revised packages – that they had listened to local people.