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Sussex library staff face axe

3:00pm Wednesday 20th October 2010 in News By James Wallin

Library staff are facing the axe under cost-cutting proposals.

Meetings were held at libraries across West Sussex yesterday to unveil a new structure expected to save £318,000 a year.

Staff have three weeks to comment on the plans, which would see five jobs lost and some librarians demoted to library assistants.

But the county council’s Tory administration has insisted the service will not be in the firing line after the spending review.

Lib Dem councillor Bob Smytherman criticised the cuts, saying: “The library service is being diminished. This will hit the poorest people hardest as they are the ones who get the most benefit from libraries. Reducing the number of qualified staff in our libraries is only going to lead to a deterioration of the service to the public.”

Comments(6)

kumquat says...
3:47pm Wed 20 Oct 10

I'm quite surprised that a lib dem councillor whose party is a member of the coalition government isn't advocating that the council offer the opportunity to local businesses or social enterprises to run the services as a business. In fact i'm not sure why a Tory led council isn't. This a key opportunity as part of the Big Society proposals and councils should at least be looking at these opportunities.

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Morpheus says...
5:35pm Wed 20 Oct 10

Only 5 jobs lost in West Sussex - it is hardly significant except for the people concerned. Libraries should be about books and if these are not cut back is there really a problem?

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TheInsider says...
6:32pm Wed 20 Oct 10

Is this the same council using tax payers money to pay off its chief executive.
This council should be suspended immediately and investigated for mismanagement.

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TheInsider says...
11:18pm Wed 20 Oct 10

Five jobs equate to five new families claiming job seekers allowance, housing benefit, free prescriptions, free school meals etc. It also means five fewer people paying tax and national insurance.
So each job lost in the UK puts a tax burden on those left working Morpheus.
Wait to see what tax rises you face to pay for those out of work.

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Shirley Burnham says...
1:13pm Thu 21 Oct 10

To function properly, a library must have paid, experienced library assistants in it. Libraries are much more than just rooms with shelves. Reflect on their value to society. Even so, what the public sees is but the tip of an iceberg. Chartered librarians manage the collections and ensure the quality of the service. Not any fool can do this. I'm not from Sussex, so should not butt in, but was prompted to comment, as the author of this article is the tip-top journalist we had in Swindon until just a short time ago. He has been steeped in library matters for years, so you are very fortunate.

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TheInsider says...
5:21pm Fri 22 Oct 10

Shirley, before the internet, the library and reference library staff had a much higher profile and the general public probably came into contact with them more regularly and had more of an understanding as to librarians' skills and level of intelligence etc. Also librarians were often seen on Mastermind or University Challenge and there intelligence even lead to the stereotyping of them as 'geeks'. Now the general public have become so-half baked they think Sudoko is a crossword and completing a national lottery ticket is a mathematical equation, that they probably have no idea what librarians really do. They think you sell cuddly toys in the shop attached to the library or hire DVDs and CDs.
This perception means that many posters now think everyone is 'cheap labour' and jobs can be axed without any long-lasting impact.
It's always people who know nothing about a particular workplace, job etc who seem to rejoice the most at job losses.
Time will pass and the truth will out.

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