Suffolk County Council disappointment over Suffolk Libraries refusal to share costs information publicly

A council which is looking to take back control of Suffolk's libraries has expressed disappointment over a charity's refusal to publicly release information about costs.

Last month, Suffolk County Council (SCC) announced it intended to take control of the library service for the first time since 2012, when it was surrendered to the Suffolk Libraries charity due to austerity cuts.

Suffolk Libraries strongly opposed the change and, in an open letter released on Thursday, called for 'irrefutable evidence' to be shared publicly justifying the authority's claims for the service takeover.

The county council claimed, for instance, the charity was spending a third of its annual bill on its head office, including senior managers.

SCC said it had arrived at its conclusions after looking at data provided by Suffolk Libraries, when it asked the charity whether it could release it to the public, permission was refused.

Cllr Philip Faircloth-Mutton, the lead for the change, said: "It is disappointing that the public won’t get to hear the full story and be privy to all the facts.

“The irony is not lost on us that in an open letter, Suffolk Libraries invited us to share our evidence, but our attempts to do so publicly have been denied."

The county council has now released its own open letter explaining its decision, with information heavily redacted as a result of the charity's refusal to reveal it publicly.

Addressing the refusal to publish the information, Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries, said the charity still strongly disputed claims about wages.

Previously, Suffolk Libraries said all management costs were paid either through external funding or money it generated.

Mr Leeke said senior management costs stood at 7.7 per cent of the annual bill and, with other important central functions such as IT and HR, went up to 21.4 per cent but not quite the extent the council claimed.

He said: “We are currently taking legal advice regarding the release of this information for public consumption.

“We remain hopeful that we will have the opportunity to resolve these misunderstandings with our colleagues at Suffolk County Council, and ultimately, continue to serve the local community by maintaining the exceptional library service for which Suffolk is now renowned.”

The council says, although most of next week’s debate and decision will be held in public, part of the discussion will need to be held in private session as a result of Suffolk Libraries' refusal to release the information.

The authority added it was at odds with its approach to transparent, open and honest conversations.

In the meantime, a petition calling for the decision to be reconsidered has already attracted over 19,200 signatures, with several protests held over the weekend.