In parliament this week, I called on the Government to introduce a ‘defined minimum library offer’ to secure the future of local libraries in Scotland.
Library funding in Perth and Kinross is currently only secured until the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
Currently in Scotland the law states that local authorities must provide ‘adequate library provisions’ for residents. In recent years, this loose definition has put local libraries at risk, as councils are not necessarily obligated to keep them open by law.
However, a report by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) in February this year, has recommended that a defined minimum library offer be introduced in Scotland, and half a year on, the Government has made no indication in changing that definition.
In my supplementary question to the Education Secretary in parliament this week, I noted that libraries across Scotland including in Perth and Kinross, have had an axe hanging over them for years now due to local government funding cuts.
Our libraries are looking for some assurance centrally of this national defined minimum library offer.
I campaigned alongside many of you from across Perth and Kinross in 2024 when the libraries were threatened with closure then. It was thrilling that the decision was then reversed and funding secured.
But now our libraries are once again under threat, and it seems the government has been sitting on its hands, after being recommended to implement a minimum library offer over half a year ago.
The Cabinet Secretary’s answer this week did not fill me with confidence, and I will continue to put pressure on the Government to protect our local libraries.
