20 October - Libraries not to be shelved
Next
to be subjected to a Bexley Council Strategy at
the Places Scrutiny meeting was Libraries. I think the first
Councillor to question it was Anna Day (Labour) but I could be wrong. The audio feed
failed momentarily as Chairman Cameron Smith introduced the speaker, the
webcast Indexing had failed totally and since not attending meetings in person
my voice recognition skills are not what they were.
Councillor Day, if it was she, wanted to know what data would be collected from the proposed user survey. She thought it
should go beyond age and postcode and include at least ethnicity, sex and housing status.
She was told that the survey allowed the optional inclusion of such detail.
The distinctively voiced Councillor John Davey (Conservative, West Heath) said the survey asked six
questions with sub-sections, one with 14 of them all of which he thought were similarly important.
It might be helpful if respondents were asked to indicate their top three priorities.
He queried how any survey could reach library users and non-users alike.
The Council Officer said she would take the ‘top three’ suggestion on board and
the survey would be publicised on various social media platforms. Councillor Ogundayo
(Labour, Thamesmead East) thought a free text response should be considered. Another good idea to be adopted.
Councillor Rags Sandhu (Conservative, Bexleyheath) was concerned for residents for whom English was not their
first language. (About a third of them in the Northern wards.)
Councillor James Hunt (Conservative, Blackfen & Lamorbey) suggested that simply using Ask Bexley may not be enough
and were the Community Libraries to be included? Blackfen Library for example was
already very much a Community Hub. He was told that the Council is talking to
their library partners and will build on their success.
Councillor Cheryl Bacon (Conservative, Sidcup) suggested that the survey should give
more information about the services on offer as non-users would not be aware of the wide range of possibilities.
Councillor Brian Bishop (Conservative, Barnehurst) who presumably chaired the Strategy
Committee - the report does not say - thanked everyone for their suggestions.