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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST FOR THIS ITEM:
 
None
 

RESOLVED:

 
That Cabinet:
 

Approved the draft
Haringey Library Strategy 2026–30.1.

Noted the findings of
the consultation report and updated Equalities Impact
Assessment.

Reasons for decision

The Council had a
statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to
provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service
for those who lived, worked or studied in the borough. The duty was
supplemented by government guidance, which although not statutory,
still had to be taken into account. The guidance advised that
changes to library services should be based on strategic plans and
consideration of alternative delivery models, and on careful
assessment of needs and consideration of impacts and
mitigations.
 
When the Council
adopted revised operating hours for the library service in December
2024, in the absence of a specific library strategy, it used the
principles which already underpinned its Arts & Culture
Strategy – Access, Collaboration, Equity, Growth, Lifelong
Learning, Visibility & Representation – to inform that
decision. The Council also committed as part of that decision to
developing a dedicated library strategy to underpin future
development of the library service and put it on a sustainable
footing for the future. This report gave effect to that commitment,
following detailed consultation and engagement with a wide range of
stakeholders.

Alternative options considered
 
The Council could have
decided not to adopt a Library Strategy. However, this would have
left the library service without an underpinning strategic
direction and would have undermined the Council’s conformity
with its statutory duty in respect of library provision. This
option was therefore not recommended.