The future of Bradford’s libraries service will be influenced by the views of just over 900 people, many of them pensioners, after a “disappointing” response to a public survey.
A public consultation into Bradford Council’s library strategy, which will shape how the District’s libraries operate for the next five years, was held over the Summer.
It asked the public what could be done to improve existing library services and encourage more people into the facilities. Holding more community and cultural events were among the suggestions.
But at a Bradford Council meeting last week, Councillors were told that just 915 people had taken part in the survey.
And of those, 46 percent were over 65.
At the meeting of the Regulatory and Appeals Committee last Tuesday, Dionne Hood, Head of Service acknowledged the response to the survey was not what the Council had hoped.
She said: “We put a lot of effort into promoting this. We got it in the press and did what we could to get people to take the survey. We’re disappointed we only got just over 900 responses.”
Chair of the Committee Liz Rowe (Lab, Windhill and Wrose), pointed out that just 13 per cent of those who responded were under the age of 35. She said: “Did you do anything in areas with younger populations to get people to respond?”
Mrs Hood said: “Yes, we went to schools among other things. It just didn’t have an impact.”
She suggested the survey, which came just months after a consultation on library opening hours, may have been too much for many people to process.
She told Councillors: “I think the survey was just a bit too much. I wouldn’t have done the survey. If your literacy isn’t great, it wasn’t an easy survey to get through.”
Members heard that the survey was translated into different languages to try and get as many people as possible to have their say.
Councillor Alex Mitchell (Lab, Queensbury) said: “There are just a few people per constituency that are shaping a strategy for libraries across the whole district.
“Maybe it was more for people who use the library service than for people that need the service.”
He pointed out that the survey found 29 per cent of people didn’t want libraries to become community hubs, with the results saying: “Some feared this would dilute the library’s core purpose or lead to closures.”
He said: “That is quite a dated view of libraries.”
Members were told it was important to take account of the views of those who did take the time to respond to the survey, while still balancing the needs of the wider community who did not respond.
