Suffolk County Council's Cabinet is set to discuss the future of library services in Felixstowe and the rest of Suffolk at its next meeting on 11 July. 

The current contract with Suffolk's Libraries Industrial and Provident Society (IPS), worth £5.92 million per annum, comes to an end on 31st July 2024.

The Council now needs to consider how library services will be delivered following expiry of the contract. 

The report to cabinet will recommend that a new Library Service contract is procured using a competitive tender process. 

To enable meaningful engagement, public consultation and a competitive tender process to take place, the report also recommends that the current contract with Suffolk's Libraries IPS is extended by 10 months, to 31 May 2025.  

The public consultation will be used to inform the requirements and future development of the new service.  

Cllr Bobby Bennett, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Equality and Communities, said: "Libraries play a vital role in our local communities – they offer so much more than books; providing community spaces which bring people of all ages together, to learn, socialise, read and take part in activities.

"Building on the good work already happening in Suffolk, we are committed to supporting library services, so that our residents continue to see the same high level of service from their local library. A competitive tender process will give us the opportunity to test the current market to ensure we are providing the best value for money for our residents." 

In May 2023, Suffolk County Council's Cabinet agreed to protect library services by providing Suffolk's Libraries IPS an additional £720k per year to address increases in service costs, until the end of the current contract. The proposal to be put to cabinet on 11 July is to continue to fund Suffolk Libraries IPS at this rate for the duration of the proposed 10-month extension. 

The proposed value of the new contract will be £6.842m per year, taking into account the increased service costs and including an additional £0.2m for the Libraries Outreach Service. The proposed term of the contract will be 6 years, with the option to extend for a further 6 years.

The recommendations will be discussed at the meeting of Suffolk County Council's Cabinet on Tuesday 11 July. Papers for the meeting can be viewed at https://committeeminutes.suffolk.gov.uk