Croydon libraries hierarchy (group 'types')

Stephen Whiteside made this Freedom of Information request to Croydon Borough Council Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.

The request was partially successful.

Stephen Whiteside

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

Table 2.1 (p.17) of the ‘Activist’ report on Phases 1-2 of the Library Service Review (16 November 2023) includes a hierarchy of library group ‘types’, which apparently “informs the opening hours and the extent of the offer available” at each library.

https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documen...

I have been trying to ascertain what it was/is about the libraries at Broad Green, Shirley, Sanderstead and Bradmore Green that has determined their classification as ‘local’ as opposed to ‘branch’ libraries. All I have found to date is at 10.4 (p.64) of the Red Quadrant report of September 2018, which suggests that the current hierarchy is based solely on the 'visits' made to each library in 2016-17.

https://insidecroydon.com/wp-content/upl...

I note that the report to Cabinet on 31 January 2024 shows that in the case of some libraries their 'ranking' with regard to 'visits' (amongst other things) has significantly altered in the years since 2016-17. Sanderstead for instance has gone from 13/13 to 6/13 for visits in 2022/23 (6.32 of the report).

+++ Please provide the comparative information on 'visits' AND 'issues per visit' (for all libraries except Central) for the years SINCE 2016-17.

+++ Please provide copies of any information regarding any REVIEW(S) of the current 'hierarchy' since 2018, based on different criteria and/or up to date comparative data regarding visits.

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Whiteside

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

1 Attachment

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[email address]

 

Dear Stephen Whiteside

Request FOI/10513

Further to your request received on 24/08/2024, I confirm that the Council
has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. Specifically, you have requested the following informaiton:

 

"Dear Croydon Borough Council,

Table 2.1 (p.17) of the ‘Activist" report on Phases 1-2 of the Library
Service Review (16 November 2023) includes a hierarchy of library group
‘types", which apparently "informs the opening hours and the extent of the
offer available” at each library.

https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documen...

I have been trying to ascertain what it was/is about the libraries at
Broad Green, Shirley, Sanderstead and Bradmore Green that has determined
their classification as ‘local" as opposed to ‘branch" libraries. All I
have found to date is at 10.4 (p.64) of the Red Quadrant report of
September 2018, which suggests that the current hierarchy is based solely
on the visits made to each library in 2016-17.

https://insidecroydon.com/wp-content/upl...

I note that the report to Cabinet on 31 January 2024 shows that in the
case of some libraries their ranking with regard to visits (amongst other
things) has significantly altered in the years since 2016-17. Sanderstead
for instance has gone from 13/13 to 6/13 for visits in 2022/23 (6.32 of
the report).

+++ Please provide the comparative information on visits AND issues per
visit (for all libraries except Central) for the years SINCE 2016-17.

+++ Please provide copies of any information regarding any REVIEW(S) of
the current hierarchy since 2018, based on different criteria and/or up to
date comparative data regarding visits."

The library hierarchy proposals were accepted on 7 May 2019 Cabinet
Meeting, including the proposals from consultant Red Quadrant, with
structure outlined on p. 12 of their summary report (Main Hub, Area Hubs,
Branch Libraries, Local Libraries: This information is provided on our
website and is therefore exempt from Croydon Council under Section 21 of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000, ‘Information reasonably accessible to
the applicant by other means’. Section 21 is an absolute exemption and
therefore does not require the public interests balancing test to be
applied.
[1]https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documen...

“We therefore propose that a new approach should be adopted to library
delivery in Croydon, ranking libraries as either area hubs, branch
libraries or local libraries.

The main hub is the central library, serving the entire borough. This
library will provide a comprehensive range of stock, including specialist
collections. Study space and public computers will continue to be a key
element of library provision. There is a full range of partnerships to
deliver activities and events. Staffing levels will permit an extensive
range of staff led activities. Croydon Central is within 30 minutes’
transport time for most of the borough.

Area hub libraries would be Thornton Heath and Selsdon, serving the north
and south of the borough respectively. Book stock will be at a lower level
than at the Central library. There is a full range of partnerships to
deliver activities and events. Staffing levels will permit a range of
staff led activities. Thornton Heath library is within 30 minutes
travelling time of most of the north of the borough. Selsdon is easily
accessible by public transport from much of the east of the borough
including New Addington.

Branch libraries are Ashburton, Coulsdon, New Addington, Norbury, Purley
and South Norwood libraries serving district centres within the borough.
These are essential local libraries serving their communities but where
partnership activities can take place.

Local libraries are Bradmore Green, Broad Green, Sanderstead and Shirley
libraries, generally serving local areas within the borough. These will
provide a basic library function and in some of our options are suitable
for partial or full operation by volunteers. Broad Green is located in an
area of significant deprivation, but more people living in the immediate
area of the library use other libraries, especially Croydon Central.”

The hierarchy of libraries was not amended in the changes to the service
implemented in April 2022 which involved a reduction in ours across the
network.

The status of all of the libraries in Croydon was reviewed as part of the
service review in 2023/24, as outlined in the report pack from 31^st
January Cabinet meeting:
[2]https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documen...
r%20-%20Libraries%20Service%20Review.pdf
and the report pack for the Scrutiny and Overview committee on 17th
September:
[3]https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieListD...

The data for library issues and visits are shown on the attached
spreadsheet. Please note that we do not keep statistics for “issues per
visit”. 

 

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[4]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

 

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act, you may ask for an internal review.
This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of this response.
You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by:

 

Email:        [5][email address]

 

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon

Bernard Weatherill House

Floor 7 - Zone B

8 Mint Walk

Croydon, CR0 1EA

 

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire, SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

Bernard Wetherill House,

Mint Walk,

Croydon,

CR0 1EA

 

 

[6][email address]

[email address]

 

References

Visible links
1. https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documen...
2. https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documen...
3. https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieListD...
4. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/
5. mailto:[email%20address]
6. mailto:[email%20address]

Stephen Whiteside left an annotation ()

I note that according to the information released through a request under the FOIA, when self-service kiosks were installed in Croydon’s libraries in 2014, they were seen as an “essential part of the solution to maintain an appropriate level of library service across the 13 library sites”.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/l...

Yet those kiosks were installed at only 9 of those 13 library sites.

The sites denied those "essential" improvements were Bradmore Green, Broad Green, Sanderstead and Shirley, where an “ appropriate level of library service” was apparently not required and has presumably not been provided (even in these terms) until kiosks where eventually installed, some 9 years later.

It seems quite apparent from the above (and from the other available evidence) that the ‘hierarchy’ (aka as the libraries closure strategy) has been in place from well before Red Quadrant’s 2018 report and/or its acceptance by Cabinet in May 2019.

These four libraries have been "set up" to fail (though even that hasn't worked in reality) and the communities that use and rely on them continue to be failed by successive administrations.