The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and a framework for interested parties to follow as they prepare an initial business case for their proposal to support the delivery of library services.
Please complete the form below referring to the notes for guidance.
Please return this form, with a covering letter, by 5pm on Friday 29 May 2015
By post to:
Cornwall Library and one stop shop service review
Truro Community Library
Union Place
Truro
Cornwall
TR1 1EP
By email to:
More information
Please note that this is a high level business case designed to capture your initial proposals regarding future delivery of the Library/One Stop Shop provision in Cornwall.
Once all proposals have been submitted the Council may then take the opportunity to explore in more detail those proposals which are deemed to be feasible.
More information about the library and one stop shop review consultation is available on the Council’s website: www.cornwall.gov.uk/librarysurvey
If you would like assistance, please contact:
Anne McSeveney
Phone: 01872 326692
Email:
Introduction
Our libraries and one stop shops sit at the heart of their communities, helping to create a sense of belonging, and responding to the needs of those who use them. We promote literacyand a passion for reading as well asopportunities for lifelong learning.
Society is changing rapidly and today’s library and one stop shop provides access to information through a variety of channels. Technology plays a huge part in our current service delivery and this will continue to increase in line with emerging technological solutions.
Further government funding cuts of £196 million across the next four years, means we now face having to reduce the amount spent on some services, as a result, we have to make savings of £1.8m from the existing £4m library and one stop shop service budget over the next two years.
We want to take this opportunity to engage with our stakeholders, residents, and communities to explore ways of working innovatively to deliver our library/one stop shop services against a landscape of reducing resources. We will explore all proposals received during our ten week consultation, and would ask that if you are an interested group or organisation that you complete and submit the following business case.
Thank you
Anne McSeveney
Assistant Head of Customers and Communities - Face to Face
1. YOUR DETAILS1.1 Name of applicant (group/organisation)
1.2 Status of applicant (if applicable)
Please See note 1 in guidance notes for further detail
1.3 Key Contact Name
1.4 Phone/Email
1.5 Address
2. YOUR PROPOSALS
2.1 Name of community/area to which your business case relates
2.2 Vision
Please provide an overview of your proposals and the vision of your group or organisation in no more than 500 words.
Please see note 2 in guidance notes for further detail
3. YOUR EVIDENCE
Please provide evidence of what library services your community wants and will use. This will inform your business case.
· Does the community want a
a) Comprehensive and efficient library service
Please see point 3 in the guidance notes for further details.
b) Comprehensive and efficient library service with a one stop shop provision where this already exists in the community.
Please see point 3 in the guidance notes for further details.
c) Special collections
Please see point 3 in the guidance notes for further details.
· What evidence do you have of your community requirements?
· How will your proposals benefit the whole community?
· What evidence do you have of community commitment?
Please see notes 3 and 6 in guidance notes for further details.
4. DETAILS
4.1 How will the service be managed and staffed?
Please see point 4 in the guidance notes for further details.
4.2 From the site information provided, please provide an outline of how you would support the running costs of your proposal.
Please see note 5 in guidance notes for further details.
4.3 What hours are you proposing the site(s) will be open to meet the needs of the community?
4.4 Briefly indicate how you will ensure that legal requirements are met, for example:
· Insurance
· Health and Safety
· Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
· Licensing
· Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
· Data Protection
4.5 Risk assessment
(Please state any risks associated with taking on this service and how you would propose to mitigate them) Please see note 7 of guidance notes for further details.
4.6 Please provide any other supporting information you feel is applicable
Print Name:
Date:
Please return this form, with a covering letter, by 5pm on Friday 29 May 2015
By post to: Cornwall Library and one stop shop service review,
Truro Community Library, Union Place, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1EP
By email to:
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on the preparation of a business case for delivering the library/ One Stop Shop services in their area.
Following consideration of initial Business Cases, a meeting invite will be sent to those with feasible proposals, to discuss their ideas in more detail.
1Status of Applicant
If your Group/Organisation has a written constitution or objectives, please provide a copy.
If you are planning to set up a Group/Organisation, please give details.
The most common business structures are:
Private limited company
· Most frequently adopted corporate business structure; can be adapted to suit most purposes.
· Directors manage business on behalf of the company’s shareholders/members. Considerable flexibility over internal rules.
· Must be registered with Companies House and must comply with the Companies Act 2006.
· It is a legal person distinct from its shareholders/members and can therefore hold property and contract in its own name.
· Shareholders/members' liability for the debts of the company is limited – in the case of a company limited by shares, liability is limited to the amount not paid on the shares held by the shareholder; in the case of a company limited by guarantee, liability is limited to the amount guaranteed by the member.
· Can be a charity.
Community interest company (CIC)
· A special type of limited company designed for social enterprise.
· Is subject to an 'asset lock' to ensure assets are kept within the company or used to benefit the community.
· Similar to other limited companies, but is subject to additional regulation to ensure community benefits.
· Cannot also be a charity (but can become a charity if it ceases to be a CIC).
Charitable incorporated organisation
· First ready-made corporate structure specifically designed for charities.
· Similar in some respects to private limited companies but with different terminology, e.g. 'charity trustee' instead of 'director'.
· Simple and cheap to set up and with less onerous reporting and accounting requirements than a limited company.
· Liability of charity trustees and members is limited.
· Must be a registered charity.
Co-operative and community benefit societies
· Formerly known as Industrial and Provident Societies.
· Bona fide co-operatives which are owned and run by and for their members, whether they are customers, employees or residents.
· Managed by a committee or officers on behalf of members.
· It is a legal person distinct from its members and members' liability is limited to the amount not paid up on their shares.
· Not a charity.
Unincorporated association
· Informal; makes its own rules; suitable for small scale activities and membership groups/clubs.
· Not legally separate from its members so cannot hold property or enter into contracts.
· Each members’ personal liability will usually be limited to the extent of his/her subscription fee.
· If there is any property involved, this will need to be held by trustees.
· Can be a charity.
You can find further useful guidance from
www.gov.uk/set-up-a-social-enterprise
www.businesslink.gov.uk
www.charity-commission.gov.uk/index.aspx
www.wcava.org.uk
2Vision
Please give an overview of what you’re proposing, and what the aspirations of your group are.
The Council is most interested in business cases which articulate benefits and savings for the wider public sector.
Whilst this consultation relates to the future delivery of Library/ One Stop Shops, this cannot be achieved without due consideration to the buildings from which the service is delivered. Cornwall Council has responsibility through the ‘One Public Estate Programme’ to ensure that the wider public sector estate (including the local authority estate, civil service estate, and town and parish council estate) is operating as efficiently as possible. Therefore, it is imperative to consider how respective properties could be pooled to best meet the needs of the community, rather than thinking solely about retaining the current building.
The Council’s general principle is that it would not expect to transfer freehold ownership to another group where it simply perpetuates the current model of public sector property ownership and does not express how savings are being achieved somewhere else.Instead, the Council would prefer to follow a long leasehold model, sufficient for grant applications, but with the ability to retain the building should the devolved library service cease in the future. However, there are possible exceptions to this general principle: for example, the Council may consider transfer of freehold ownership of a library building to a town council or community group where that town council or community group releases its own building to move in to the library.Conversely, where a library can be moved in to a town council building, or other community building, Cornwall Council can derive savings by releasing the former library and may be able to use those funds to rent the space for the service in that other building.
Irrespective of the building from which the service is delivered the following requirements should be taken into consideration:
a) Physically accessible to the general public and compliant with the Equality Act 2010 in terms of access for disabled people. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/equality-act-2010-guidance
b) Be open to the whole community;
c) Be suitable for shelving, equipment, desks etc.;
d) Have suitable internet connectivity to sustain service.
For more information please read the research undertaken by Arts Council England at www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/supporting-libraries/community-libraries-research/
3Evidence of what library services your community want and will use
In this section, please provide evidence that the community wants and will support the services which are being proposed. This could include results of surveys, minutes of previous community meetings, or petitions
· Library Service
Cornwall Council has a statutory duty to provide a library service which meets the general and specific needs of all those wishing to use it. The library services of England are now presenting a universal offer which revolves around four specific themes: Reading, Health, Information and Digital (full details can be found on the library pages of the Cornwall Council web site). The aim of these offers is to provide local users with social and/or learning outcomes.
· Library One Stop Shops
One Stop Shops provide a first port of call for the public wishing to engage with Council services in a face to face setting. This includes those wishing to discuss specialist services such as income and assessments, housing and planning. The staff are expected to provide information from online resources, and record enquiries and refer on to the relevant service.
The Council currently has a number of Library One Stop Shops where the staff are trained to deliver both specialisms. The One Stop Shop is changing and we are working with other services to help people to get online. The long term aim is to support people to do it for themselves. The expectation is that Library One Stop Shops would be transferred delivering both specialisms. Details are available in the site profiles.
· Special collections
The Performing Arts Collection is a comprehensive collection of books for loan on all aspects of music and drama. The collection includes biographies and critical studies of composers and musicians, the history and theory of music, theatre and dance and a wide range of classical and popular music scores and play scripts, including a section of suitable material for children and learners. The drama section includes direction, sound, lighting and costume design. This whole collection totals 13,500 books and generated 14,700 loans in 2014/15. In addition to this, we hold 234 music performance sets and 39 orchestral sets, freely available to Cornwall’s groups and societies and as a chargeable service to other local authorities.
The Visual Arts Collection is the most significant collection of its kind in a public library anywhere in the South West. Covering world painting from all periods, it also covers sculpture, ceramics, textiles, fashion, photography, architecture and graphic design.
The larger collection is at Penzance Library, where there is a focus on world art and on artists from West Cornwall. As well as its stock of books for borrowing, this collection includes art journals, local exhibition catalogues and reference books. This collection totals 5,000 books and generated 9156 loans in 2014/15. The collection at St Ives Library has an emphasis on photography, fashion and design. It also contains many books and catalogues reflecting the history of the important Newlyn and St Ives schools of painting. This smaller collection totals 950 books and generated 1848 loans in 2014/15.
4 How will the service be managed and staffed?
· If your proposed service will involve the use of paid staff you may be required to continue to employ existing Cornwall Council staff on the same terms and conditions - this is known as protection under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, also referred to as 'TUPE'.
· If you will be using volunteers, you will need to think about how to recruit them and ensure they are suitable, including carrying out checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service.
· Please briefly demonstrate the capacity, skills and commitment available within the group/community.
5 Outline of running costs.
Some potential costs to consider within the business case include:
· Rent of premises;
· Running costs for the building (for example: heating, lighting, cleaning, maintenance, insurance etc);