Library statistics 2010 to 2024
Dear Sutton Borough Council,
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information:
For each public library in this borough, between the years 2010 to 2024, please specify:
1. The number of visitors received in each library in those years
2. The allocated budget for each library in those years
3. The opening hours for each library in those years
4. The number of official requests to ban a book in each library in those years(and what book)
5. The number of full-time library staff for each library in those years
6. The number of staff on zero-hour contracts for each library in those years
7. The number of books borrowed from each library in those years
8. The number of books ordered to the library in each library in those years
Please provide this information in spreadsheet format (CSV or XLS).
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under your Section 16 obligations, on how I can refine my request to be included in the scope of the Act.
In any case, if you can identify ways my request could be refined please provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.
I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by the Act.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to clarify what I am asking for.
Yours faithfully,
Julian Amani
Dear Julian
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST - REF NO
-FOIS5762 (please quote in correspondence)
I acknowledge your request for information dated 12/02/2025
Your request is being considered and, if it is held, you will receive the
information requested within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as
defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, subject to the information
not being exempt or containing a reference to a third party.
If appropriate, the information may be provided in paper copy, normal font
size. If you require alternative formats, e.g. language, audio, large
print, etc. then please let us know.
For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions which may
prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an
assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then the
information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the
case, including your rights of appeal.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then
they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to
release the information to you. You will be informed if this is the case.
Please be advised that in line with London Borough of Sutton's commitment
to transparency, in due course an anonymous copy of your request and our
response may be published on our website.
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
London Borough of Sutton
Civic Offices
St. Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA
[1]www.sutton.gov.uk
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On Tue, 11 Feb 2025 at 16:00, Julian Amani <[5][FOI #1237843 email]>
wrote:
Dear Sutton Borough Council,
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request
the following information:
For each public library in this borough, between the years 2010 to 2024,
please specify:
1. The number of visitors received in each library in those years
2. The allocated budget for each library in those years
3. The opening hours for each library in those years
4. The number of official requests to ban a book in each library in
those years(and what book)
5. The number of full-time library staff for each library in those
years
6. The number of staff on zero-hour contracts for each library in those
years
7. The number of books borrowed from each library in those years
8. The number of books ordered to the library in each library in those
years
Please provide this information in spreadsheet format (CSV or XLS).
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the
information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in
Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under your Section 16
obligations, on how I can refine my request to be included in the scope
of the Act.
In any case, if you can identify ways my request could be refined please
provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.
I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by
the Act.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will
be happy to clarify what I am asking for.
Yours faithfully,
Julian Amani
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Dear Julian
I refer to your request for information received on 13 February 2025
concerning library statistics.
We have given careful consideration to your request but unfortunately we
are unable to provide the details for the period of time you have
requested. This is because we have estimated that to comply would far
exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ as set out in Section 12 of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. Due to a system migration in 2019, retrieving this
information would require manual searches of our old system.
We have estimated that providing the information from the year 2010 will
take substantially in excess of 18 hours to determine appropriate material
and locate, retrieve and extract the information with reference to the
request. Subsequently, the request will not be processed further. In
accordance with the provisions of the Act, this letter constitutes a
Refusal Notice.
However, Local Authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance to
a requester under Section 16 of FOIA where reasonable. I would suggest
that you modify your request to cover a specific period, such as from
August 2020 onwards. We will then be able to look into this further and
provide you with the relevant information.
Should we receive a revised FOI request from you, please be aware that
this will be dealt with as a new request and therefore subject to the 20
working day timescale as outlined in the Freedom of Information Act.
If you are unhappy with the way in which your request has been handled you
have the right to ask for an internal review within 40 days of the date of
this response. Please notify us in writing as soon as possible with the
grounds upon which you feel the appeal is justified to: [1][email address]
or by post to Information Governance Team London Borough of Sutton, Civic
Offices, St. Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA
We aim to respond to you within 20 working days of receiving your request.
If it is going to take longer we will let you know.
Should you still be dissatisfied with the outcome you have the right to
refer to the Information Commissioner: Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF [2]www.ico.org.uk
Yours sincerely
Kelly Saini Badwal (she/her)
Head of Cultural Services
Public Health and Wellbeing Directorate
London Borough of Sutton
Central Library, St Nicholas Way, SUTTON SM1 1EA
[3]www.sutton.gov.uk
[mobile number]
Email: [4][email address]
Disclaimers apply, for full details see :
(https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200436/cu...)
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Dear Kelly Saini Badwal,
Thanks for this response. I would like to modify my request to cover the period from August 2020 onwards. Hopefully this makes it easier to retrieve the infomation.
Yours sincerely,
Julian Amani
I am at an external event until Thursday 20 March 2025 and will only
have intermittent access to emails. If your query is urgent, please
contact: Lucy Soale <[email address]>.
--
*Kelly Saini Badwal (she/her)*
*Head of Cultural Services*
Public Health and Wellbeing Directorate
London Borough of Sutton
Central Library, St Nicholas Way, SUTTON SM1 1EA
www.sutton.gov.uk
[mobile number]
Email: [email address]
Disclaimers apply, for full details see :
(https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200436/cu...)
Dear Julian
Please find attached the response to your recent FOI request (ref.
FOIS5950) regarding Library statistics.
Kind regards,
Lucy Soale
Operations Manager
Cultural Services
Public Health and Wellbeing Directorate
London Borough of Sutton
Central Library
St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA
[1]www.sutton.gov.uk
Tel: 07909 892343
Disclaimers apply, for full details see :
(https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200436/cu...)
References
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1. http://www.sutton.gov.uk/
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