We the undersigned call on the portfolio holder to conduct urgent talks to resolve the library contract, before any more damage is caused to volunteer morale, and as yet unquantified cost to the council.
We believe we are speaking for the people of Suffolk, as the recent support for Suffolk Libraries and the petition on Change.Org shows – at the time of writing this has now been signed by over 14,000 people, almost 2% of the county population. The threshold for petitions to be considered by the council is 0.5% of the population.
We understand that negotiations may have broken down and become fraught, but Suffolk Libraries are a trusted partner of Suffolk County Council, and have provided the council with an excellent library service for over ten years. The charity inspires massive loyalty and trust from the people of Suffolk, and the volunteers who work so hard to keep the libraries running.
Respectfully, it’s time to put the animosity aside and for us to try and work out a way for Suffolk Libraries to have a chance to deliver a new contract, harnessing the wealth of volunteer support, under close scrutiny of the county council.