Open letter to our customers
Suffolk County Council wants to take the library service back from the independent charity Suffolk Libraries. We wanted our customers to have a clear and honest explanation as to what is happening.
An Update on Our Contract
An update to our customers on Suffolk Libraries' contract situation
Last updated: 14 March 2025
An online petition independently set up to oppose this move now has over 20,000 signatures. You can also write to your county councillor or MP to let them know your views on the county's council's proposal.
Suffolk County Council (SCC) has now published its Cabinet paper which provides more detail about the reasons behind their proposal to take back the library service.
We believe the figures don’t add up and we’re really concerned about a decision being taken for the wrong reasons so, we’re appealing to the county council to rethink before it’s too late. We understand that some of the information you will have read is confusing and we want to assure you Suffolk Libraries continues to simply want to work with SCC to ensure the best future for Suffolk’s library service.
Our Chair of the Board of Trustees Sylvia Knights has recorded this video which outlines Suffolk Libraries’ concerns and our questions for the county council.
(Video not loading? Try this YouTube link).
Infographic: Breaking Down the Statements
(Download a PDF version of this infographic)
- As you can see – taking back the service will cost more money than providing Suffolk Libraries with the originally requested funding
- We strongly dispute the suggestion that 33% of our staffing costs are spent on management and back office costs and have explained this in the graphic
- Given the financial pressure that councils are under, is the money this move will cost not better spent elsewhere?
- You can download our explainer which shows how Suffolk Libraries provides great value for money and does more for less.
In the papers, SCC mentions that it has asked permission to publish some confidential financial information. We took legal advice on this, not because we have anything to hide, but because we feel it is misleading as it merely shows the data which SCC has misinterpreted. We have now given Suffolk County Council permission to share this information and this document provides context on the redacted material in SCC's letter.
Fact-Checking the Council Paper
We have put together this detailed summary of the cabinet paper and our scrutiny of the key points raised. We have also tried to project the financial impact of making this decision.
Please read this information carefully and if you agree with us, you can still make a difference by signing the petition and writing to your county councillor before the decision is taken next Tuesday 18 March.
Downloadable resources:
No items found.
No results found....
