Restructure and relaunch proposed for School Library Service following consultation

Shropshire Council has published a proposal to restructure and relaunch its School Library Service to ensure it becomes financially sustainable, following consultation with schools and the public.  

Schools can use the service to supplement their own stocks of books and resources. 

Plans include finding a new premises, which is more efficient to run than its current base in the annex at Shirehall. 

In Shropshire, the School Library Service operates as a traded service, which schools can buy into. 

Schools that subscribe to the service can borrow books and artefacts relating to school topics, and receive training for staff and pupil librarians. Schools can use the service to supplement their own stocks of books and resources. 

In June, the council opened a consultation into the future of the service, explaining that it had been operating at a loss for the previous two years and would need to become cost neutral in order for it to continue. 

In February, the council agreed £62.5m of savings in its overall revenue budget for the financial year, these plans are in addition to unachieved savings from previous years and additional savings linked to managing demand for services. 

Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for children and education said: 

“Consultation with schools and the public has helped us to find new ways to make the School Library Service financially sustainable for the future, as it is clear the service we provide is valued by those who use it. 

“We have proposed a comprehensive plan to simplify the current subscription model and enhance our communication with schools, with a view to making the service viable for the future within the wider financial challenge we face in Shropshire.  The future of the service will still depend on enough schools signing up to use it following the relaunch. 

“Like lots of other councils, we do have difficult decisions to make in order to balance our books.  We must make sure these are the right decisions to become a healthy, financially sustainable council to continue delivering The Shropshire Plan.” 

The report will be considered by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet on 11 September 2024.  

View the full report as part of the Cabinet agenda.