Judicial review starts into library changes

A judicial review began on Tuesday, the outcome of which could have major implications for the future of libraries across the country.

Ten members of the Save Lincolnshire Libraries campaign are attending the hearing and reporting on the key developments through social media with the hashtag #LibraryJudicialReview.

The group’s Twitter account can be found at @SaveLincsLibraries and their Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/savelincslibraries/
In December Lincolnshire County Council decided to withdraw staff from two thirds of its libraries and either hand them over to volunteers or close them.

In addition, opening hours at the remaining libraries were to be reduced and mobile libraries to be withdrawn from over 100 villages.

The Judicial Review will consider this decision and the result could set the course for all public libraries in Britain.

Lincoln resident Simon Draper is challenging the council’s decision on the following grounds:

• Lincolnshire County Council will no longer be providing a comprehensive and efficient library service as required by section seven of the Public Libraries and Museums Act
• the consultation process was unlawful on the grounds that the outcome of consultation had been pre-determined and the basis of the information given for it was misleading
• the council failed to give proper consideration to the needs of vulnerable people including the elderly, children and disabled people as required under the Equalities Act
• the council did not give sufficient consideration to the bid from Greenwich Leisure to run the library service as required under the Localism Act.

John Hough, spokesman for Save Lincolnshire Libraries, said: “This Judicial Review is important not only for Lincolnshire but for the public library service across the country.

“If any council can take upon itself the power to decide what a statutory library service is, there will be no protection for public libraries in the future.

“We believe that Lincolnshire County Council has tried to find a way round the Libraries and Museums Act so as to provide the minimum level of professionally run public libraries it can get away with.

“It ignored the overwhelming public opposition to its proposals to demolish and destroy the important and highly valued service that it had provided.

And with the recent news that the council had a huge under spend of more than £62million last year, the premise on which the original consultation was carried out “that it had to save £2million immediately” has been shown to be false.”

Phil Dilks, Shadow Executive Member for Libraries added: ‘It’s an absolute scandal that Lincolnshire County Council has so much sitting in the bank which was collected in council tax last year and not spent on vital services at the same time as decimating our library service for the sake of saving under £2million.

“Instead of wasting more taxpayers’ money on lawyers to defend the indefensible, they should do the decent thing and for once listen to the people of Lincolnshire.”

The outcome of the hearing is expected to be known several weeks after the Judicial Review.