Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to assist local authorities in keeping public libraries open.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 (1964 Act) to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Under the 1964 Act, the Secretary of State has a duty to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England, and to secure the proper discharge by local authorities of their library authority functions.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport provides funding to Arts Council England which supports public libraries in England including through the Arts Council’s Grants for the Arts programme. Funding for seven libraries organisations are in the Arts Council’s National Portfolio for 2018 to 2022, including the Society of Chief Librarians as a sector support organisation for libraries.

In addition, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Local Government Association established the Libraries Taskforce. In December 2016, the Taskforce published ‘Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021’, which sets out a vision for library services in England. The Government is working with the Taskforce to promote good practice and innovation to assist library services and enable them to be sustainable for the long term.