The Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) of Northumberland Council met on Monday 18 May 2026 to discuss the ongoing review of library and customer services, and to consider the committee's work programme for the upcoming year. The meeting also included an update on Cabinet decisions and the forward plan for key decisions.

Forward Plan of Cabinet Decisions

The committee was scheduled to note the schedule of decisions made by Cabinet since its last meeting, along with the latest Forward Plan of key decisions. Any changes to the Forward Plan would also be reported. The Forward Plan included upcoming Cabinet decisions on the adoption of the North Pennines National Landscape Management Plan, the Blyth Relief Road appropriation of land, refurbishment works at Blyth Sports Centre, financial performance reports for 2025-26, and the tendering and awarding of a contract for an Integrated Sexual Health Service for Northumberland.

Service Redesign - Libraries and Customer Services

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to an update on the ongoing review of library and customer services. The report pack indicated that the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires councils to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Any changes to this service must undergo a consultation process that adheres to the Gunning principles, ensuring proposals are at a formative stage, sufficient information is provided, adequate time is allowed for responses, and that these responses are conscientiously considered.

The consultation, part of the Council's #NlandBigListening programme, had received 5801 total responses. This engagement included 29 drop-in events and 4 Community Partnership meetings. Press and digital engagement comprised 153 pieces of content over eight weeks, with significant social media reach and digital advertising impressions. The website hub saw 18.6k sessions, and four library films garnered 15k views.

Demographic data from the consultation showed responses from 3648 female and 1171 male participants, with 435 preferring not to answer or not stating their gender. Age data indicated a broad range of respondents, with the largest groups being those aged 65 to 74 (1403) and 75 or over (1000). Ethnicity data showed 4695 white respondents, with smaller numbers from other ethnic groups. Disability data indicated 3901 respondents with no disability, and varying numbers reporting physical, sensory, or learning impairments.

The report pack detailed current perceptions of the library service, with a majority of respondents rating staff as helpful and finding their local library a pleasant place to visit. However, a significant number of respondents indicated that different opening hours would encourage them to use the library more.

Proposals discussed included standardising opening hours across all libraries based on size and local demand, and the potential for self-service access at times when staff are not present. The possibility of libraries being located in shared buildings with longer opening hours was also raised, as was the support for new ways of providing access to books and library services in rural communities. Community suggestions for improvement included book exchange/drop points, pop-up library activities, automated bookshelves, and more volunteer-run Community Access Libraries (CALs).

Regarding customer services, a proposal to extend access and support for council enquiries across the county with longer hours was presented for consideration. The next steps outlined in the report pack included analysing feedback to understand local views, defining the rural outreach offer, developing the Community Access Library model, and ensuring a fair, equitable, sustainable, and budget-compliant service.

Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme and Monitoring Report

The committee was asked to consider its work programme for the 2026/27 council year. The terms of reference for the committee include maintaining an overview of management agreements for leisure and tourism services, and reviewing or scrutinising policies in areas such as Public Safety, Culture, Leisure and Tourism, Roads and Highways, Environment, Rural and Farming, and Housing and Planning.

The report pack listed potential issues for the work programme, including an overview of the Council's role in emergencies, a review of enforcement activities, and performance reports from the Fire and Rescue Service and Places for People Leisure (PPL), the council's leisure provider. It also highlighted the S106 Infrastructure Funding Statement for 2025/26 as an item to be reviewed prior to publication.

The report also provided a summary of the committee's work from the previous year, which included detailed examinations of highways maintenance, the North East Local Transport Plan, the Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service's annual performance, storm resilience measures, progress on the Great Northumberland Forest initiative, and the update of the Woodland and Tree Strategy. The committee had also previously examined the Library Service Redesign and Development, noting the importance of libraries as community hubs and the need for continued development of a sustainable service. The committee had also received an overview of the first six months of operations from Places for People Leisure.