Bay Life understands that a radical plan is emerging with the ambition to save Pevensey Bay Library today (13 September).
A media release is promised next week with further details of the plan by the group looking to save the library
Talking to a number of key figures in Pevensey Bay with a close association to the story of the library and the campaign to see the service restored following the flood in January 2015, we were left in no doubt about the will of the people concerned to fight another successful campaign.
The success of the campaign after a seventeen month fight to save the service, became part of recent folklore in the locality, with the news reaching as far afield as newspapers in Portsmouth.
Talking about the plan, which we have been asked not to disclose at this stage, as preparatory work is underway, one of the key figures told Bay Life, “it is a question of seeing the bigger picture”.
“Without question there are a number of strong characters in the Bay who would want to see this happen, it is just a question of will, and seeing if the will exists to save the library”.
Attention appears to be turning to Wealden Council and a potential role, with recognition that East Sussex County Council has to make significant savings to maintain the level of support necessary for their service, to fulfil their legal obligations.
At the meeting held this afternoon, one of the organisers of the emerging plan said, “we recognise that East Sussex has to to save money because of the cuts, and OK we are not an area in their terms of priority with need, but we want to see Wealden Council involved in the plan”
Questions about the nomination of the Beach Tavern public house as an asset of community value also formed part of the discussion with one the people at the meeting suggesting, “perhaps Wealden council would like to look again at the conclusions drawn in refusing the application, because we would argue that the same circumstances no longer prevail”.
Bay Life understands that one possibility is that the group is looking at some kind of community venture as a possibility.
Organisers in the group note in the executive summary what East Sussex County Council says about the seven libraries and their proposals not to retain the buildings, “these could be community run or community funded where there is a desire within communities for the libraries to continue to operate if, as proposed, we cease to fund them as part of a needs based library service.
“Alternatively, communities may wish to use the buildings for other purposes where this is possible. There are potential options for keeping the seven libraries within the East Sussex Library and Information Service if they can be wholly funded by communities or other organisations.
“Alternatively, communities or other groups or organisations may wish to take over the leases of buildings or purchase them, and run them as completely independent libraries or use them for other purposes. We are happy to discuss these options”
Given the strength of opinion that was mobilised locally with the campaign to see the services restored in January 2015, it will be interesting to see if this body of opinion will be mobilised again.
Talking to a researcher who will be working with the group to save the library, who has been an employee within the library services in Sussex, opened a number of possibilities about the direction of the campaign.
He said, “looking at the report in detail, I would suggest that this is not a fait accompli of any description, my view is that the county council has left the door open to communities. with deliberation.”.
“The most interesting aspects of the proposals to close 7 libraries are contained in the appendices attached to the report. In appendix 4 of the report the upkeep costs are detailed as £8,332 for Pevensey Bay Library, the overall costs including staff costs, are detailed as £18,530, It would appear that we are talking about a total running cost cost of £18,530 a year.
“This would appear to make the running costs for Pevensey Bay Library the lowest in the county by a long way.
“Does anyone want to buy a library at a knock down price for nothing? The community might be looking a gift horse in the mouth.
“I would draw particular attention to the summary options that the Council have detailed in section 7 of the report appendices, the most important part, I would suggest, looks at delivery proposals with regard to Delivery Model Initial Options Appraisal.
“What the Council is talking about is the global delivery option across the county.
“The option taken up in Devon (as they explain) with Libraries Unlimited, has been so successful and is being studied across the country as a possible best practice model following the implementation of the Localism Act in 2011.
“The council has ruled out the possibility of a Devon model, as there would not be the necessary savings to make investigation worthwhile.
“I would suggest that the Pevensey Bay community group looks at the Pubic Service Mutual (PSM) model in detail, as adopted in Devon, because I think that such an approach might be welcomed by East Sussex County Council.
“The point about the PSM model is that it works for a group of libraries, but it is also a fit for individual libraries, you can do radical things, the most important of which is the commercial freedom that comes with this way of working”
In appendix 3 of the report, the detail reveals that with Pevensey Bay Library 7.947 visits are identified between 2016/17, with average visits of 14 people per hour.
With 1,693 registered members and 473 active users, Pevensey Bay Library appears to have a client group of value.
As the researcher pointed out “if you have got 7.947 people visiting a niche location in a year, with an average of 14 people an hour, and you decide to call the location a shop, then you have got a business”.
“This kind of thinking in my view could lead to a community venture library with attached services that could also be income generating. A PSM model is an enabler with business as well as public service model”
The coming days with the campaign to save Pevensey Bay Library looks as if a number of interesting possibilities might emerge.
On 4 December 2015 Huw Merriman MP told Bay Life, with regard to his concerns over the future of the library in Pevensey Bay, “I am prepared to be involved in this issue and I am going to be investigating the matter in more detail, and I am perfectly happy for Bay Life to say that this is the case”.
Following the meeting a spokesperson representing the campaigners told Bay Life “I just want to say how impressed I was by meeting MP Huw Merriman. He took in a lot of information from us and was able to see the issue in a very positive way”.
In September 2017 as the local library, that is so much a social hub and part of the community fights for life, once again Huw Merriman MP has already started to play his part.
Yesterday (September 12) he called for a public meeting in Pevensey that he will host, to ensure that local people are aware of East Sussex County Council’s forthcoming consultation on library services.
He said, “I understand that the County Council’s budgets are under pressure and they have a responsibility to ensure that their resources are allocated as well as possible.
“However, I also know that the library is a vital hub for the local community of Pevensey and Pevensey Bay. I therefore want to make sure local residents are aware of the proposals from County and, if they want to keep their library, that they respond to the consultation and have their voices heard
“Libraries are part of the fabric of community life, providing so much more than a book lending service”.
The date and venue of the meeting in Pevensey to be hosted by Huw Merriman MP will be posted in the coming days.
Given what has been said in the last few days over the future of Pevensey Bay Library, and the proposals being made by East Sussex County Council, perhaps the fight has only just begun to save the library, both for the community and for a future generation.
This time as one of the people that we talked to this afternoon said smiling, ‘we will do it with feeling”.
Bay Life will follow the campaign to save Pevensey Bay Library on a weekly basis. We will post details of the public meeting organised by Huw Merriman MP as soon as details become available.
