Sylvia Knights has been announced as the new Chair of Suffolk Libraries Board of trustees, with Paul Clouting the new Vice Chair.
Suffolk Libraries is the charity which has successfully been running the county’s library service since August 2012. In that time the organisation has kept of these crucial community hubs open and has launched several innovative and impactful new initiatives to improve wellbeing and tackle isolation across the county. This has all been achieved whilst saving a significant amount of money compared to the library budget before the service was divested from Suffolk County Council.
The Suffolk Libraries Board plays a key role in the governance and direction of the organisation. In taking up these key roles, Sylvia and Paul bring a wealth of library governance experience, leadership and business experience.
Sylvia Knights is a long-standing committed supporter of Suffolk Libraries having been a member of the board since its creation in 2012. She was instrumental in setting up the Friends of Bungay Library, where she remains a trustee, and is very active in both the group’s activities and in promoting the library as a vital hub for the community. Taking initial responsibility for encouraging and assisting the creation of library Friends’ groups across Suffolk in the early days of the newly independent organisation, she continues to advise and assist with governance issues and her experience and passion for the library service has been greatly appreciated by everyone at Suffolk Libraries over the past 12 years. Sylvia was awarded a British Empire Medal in 2023 for her outstanding service to public libraries.
Sylvia said:
“I feel very privileged to take on the role of chair and want to first record thanks to our outgoing chair Debra Reay, for her excellent stewardship. The evolution of the organisation over the last twelve years in creating and maintaining an outstanding library service, recognised for its excellence across the country, in addition to developing services and activities which particularly support the mental health and wellbeing of all sections of our rural and diverse communities, is something of which I am incredibly proud to have been a part.
"We are currently facing a time of change and uncertainty with the end of our current contract, the procurement process enacted by Suffolk County Council and the financial challenges facing us all. We hope for an early and positive resolution and I can assure everyone whose lives we touch across the county, that if we are successful in securing the new contract we will strive to continue to deliver the best possible service to everyone.“
Paul Clouting has been a co-opted Suffolk Libraries Board member since 2023.
He is a sales and marketing professional by background who has worked exclusively in the private sector. He has been a local primary school governor, a mentor for year 13 students at Farlingaye High School and has stewarded three different football club community schemes where the power of sport was used to enrich peoples’ lives. In recent years before retiring, he has been Chief Executive Officer of a large customer-facing business and has successfully run his own company . He is currently a board director of a top 100 golf club.
Paul said:
“The library service adds huge value to our community and plays a crucial role in many towns and villages. As a charity we have to become ever more inventive to generate increased, sustainable funds to help develop this vibrant, important service yet further “
The Suffolk Libraries Board is made up of voluntary members. Many members are representatives of library Friends’ groups, ensuring that the charity’s decision-making represents library groups and communities across the county. There are also several co-opted members with specific experience and specialisms. In recent years several young board members have also joined to help the organisation better represent different age groups.
You can see the full list of Board members on the Suffolk Libraries website.