We have received a response from Staffordshire County Council, from Cllr Hayley Coles, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, regarding the concerns we raised about libraries and Pride.
We welcome the following assurances from the Council:
- The Council has restated its commitment to libraries being welcoming, accessible places for everyone.
- A review is now under way, which the Council says will consider the issues raised in full.
- The Council has stated that the review is limited to library display space, and does not relate to books, stock, reading material or catalogue provision.
- The review will include a full Community Impact Assessment and will consider the Council’s duties under the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The Council has said that the review will consider the use of library display space for anything other than council services and the libraries core offer.
We now await the outcome of the review, including clarity on how decisions will be made about what constitutes a council service, the library core offer and appropriate use of public display space.
As a local VCSE infrastructure organisation, our position remains that libraries play a vital role as inclusive, welcoming civic spaces. We hope the review provides an opportunity for constructive dialogue and leads to a clear, fair and inclusive approach that gives confidence to all communities who use and value Staffordshire’s libraries.