Derby’s ten community-managed library (CML) buildings could be used by a range of voluntary organisations and community groups to offer an array of services that will benefit their neighbourhoods.

Derby City Council has been exploring ways to develop greater partnerships and meet the changing needs of the city’s communities. In July 2022, Councillors approved recommendations for Community Action Derby to review the operation of community libraries and explore models to co-locate services in a “Community Hub Model” within buildings currently used to host community-managed libraries.

Last month, the Council invited existing charities, organisations and constituted community groups to outline their ideas for services that could be run from the CML buildings by Friday, February 3. 

A variety of wide-ranging ideas were submitted from city organisations; from proposals to continue delivering services in one library, to running services from all ten buildings.

Councillors will be asked to approve a recommendation to begin a formal Expression of Interest process to identify viable proposals from groups who want to run services from the buildings when they meet at Council Cabinet on Wednesday 15 February.

The city’s ten CMLs have been operated by Direct Help and Advice (DHA) since 2018 and, if plans are approved, community-managed libraries will transfer back to the Council from April 2023 to maintain and keep open the library services on current opening hours and times while a comprehensive Expression of Interest process takes place, which could begin in March 2023 and last up to six months.

The process would be open to all interested charities, organisations and constituted groups, whether or not they have not already submitted their initial ideas. All organisations who have registered their ideas will be contacted by the Council to be informed of the next steps.

Current economic conditions are placing huge pressures on the public sector, with the cost of delivering local services rising beyond increases in funding for councils.

Derby is facing an unprecedented challenge of setting a balanced budget amid soaring inflation, a war in Europe, a cost-of-living crisis and increasing demand for essential services. 

Changes to library provision are part of a series of proposals planned to deliver a balanced budget for 2023/24, alongside an asset review to make best use of Council buildings. The consultation on these proposals closed on 26 January.

Councillors will evaluate the findings of the consultation and consider all comments before a final budget is approved.

Councillor Matthew Eyre, Cabinet Member for Community Development, Place and Tourism said:

We remain focused on delivering a Community Hub model, incorporating libraries, at as many community-managed library locations as possible. I have always been clear that closure was not and is not the aim or intention of the Council. No closure schedules have ever been agreed.

We want to see community hubs at which libraries are co-located with a wide array of other provisions and the response to our call for ideas for using our library buildings has been incredibly positive. 

The ideas submitted emphasise that the buildings have the potential to become vital community hubs, incorporating libraries alongside other offers, bringing people together and giving them access to the services and support they need to live better lives.

I said in July and November that we had no intention to close the community-managed libraries and I meant it. I’m very excited about the doors this process has opened.

The ten community library buildings are Allestree, Allenton, Blagreaves, Chaddesden Park, Chellaston, Derwent Community Library, Mackworth, Sinfin, Spondon and Springwood (Oakwood). 

Derby’s five statutory libraries (Alvaston, Normanton, Mickleover, Riverside and Local Studies) are not affected by these proposals.