Who will run it?
The council is to start a formal procurement process “in the next few weeks” to encourage partners to apply to run Cobbett Road library, which has been effectively shut since the end of January.
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Social Care in Action (SciA), with drama group Unexpected Places, originally won their bid to run it, and it reopened as ‘Cobbett Hub & Library’ in June 2016.
It was one of five Southampton ‘community partnership libraries’ that emerged after the then Labour controlled local authority voted to withdraw council support in 2015. A ‘Library Transformation consultation exercise at the time blamed a £40 million budget cut from central government.
It’s understood other city community libraries, in Weston, Millbrook, Burgess Road and Thornhill, have reopened since Covid restrictions eased.
But in December 2020 it was announced that SCiA was withdrawing from running the hubbified Cobbett “as a result of the pandemic”; given that a large part of their business plan had involved renting out rooms (the library has been rearranged with that in mind), this was clearly at least part of the problem, with people unable to run activities and meet.
The then Labour cabinet member for culture and homes, Cllr Satvir Kaur, said at the time:
“This pandemic continues to have a devastating social and financial impact on our communities, but we are committed to finding a new provider here and are in discussions with a number of partners for a renewed community offer."
Now it seems Southampton City Council is about to start a formal process to try to find a new partner to run the Cobbett Road library.
The current cabinet member for communities, culture & heritage Cllr Spiros Vassiliou told bitternepark.info:
“Since the doors closed to the public, Southampton City Council’s Library and Property teams have since been working toward a resumption of community facilities and library at Cobbett Road and committed to exploring approaches with partners. This has included work around maintaining the asset, access and interim use by some community providers, and support with the garden in particular by the Friends of Cobbett Road Library.
“A number of possible partners have been in contact with the Council interested in the opportunities offered by the Hub and the Council. In the next few weeks, the Council will be starting a formal procurement process with a view to encouraging partners who have the vision and experience to respond to the needs of the local community and apply for a long term arrangement at Cobbett Road.”
More details will be available “in due course”, he added.
Christmases past: Families enjoy Cobbett Library’s busy Christmas fayre in 2017, in the community room - now transformed into the children's library. Pic: Steve Hickman