Shortlist of three drawn up to run Lincolnshire libraries

Three organisations are being invited to bid to take on the running of Lincolnshire’s library services.

Lincolnshire County Council is currently looking for an external organisation to potentially deliver library services on its behalf.
Six initial applications were received last month, and, following assessment, three organisations have now been invited to submit a detailed bid.

The organisations are:

• Greenwich Leisure Limited, which currently oversees the management of over 150 public leisure centres across the UK and 27 libraries in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Wandsworth
• Vision, whose operations include leisure and culture related services within the London Borough of Redbridge including a large Central Library, 12 branch libraries, a mobile library service and a home library delivery service
• Vivacity, which has a 20-year contract with Peterborough City Council to manage its cultural and leisure services and operates 18 further facilities including libraries, theatres, museums and galleries

Coun Nick Worth, executive member for libraries, said: “The successful bidder will be responsible for providing the new-look service approved by the council’s executive earlier this year.
“In the meantime, we’ll continue to implement our plans to create that new-look library service, working with local groups to develop the network of community hubs over the next few months.
“Supported by the council, the hubs offer a great opportunity to combine library and other services under one roof.
“We’ll do so in the firm belief that our plans are good for taxpayers, good for library users and good for local communities.”
A final decision is expected to be made at the end of the year.