I TOOK part in a focus group a few days ago to discuss the plans to put the city’s libraries and archives into a social enterprise. Most of us agreed that we were very disappointed by the lack of any new information.

No further details were offered on proposed external funding sources; no information was offered on intended legal structures to protect the service in future; and no information was available on what other in-house savings, such as shared buildings, had been explored.

Most of us also agreed that this was in no way a consultation. Without the sort of details mentioned above, most people felt it was impossible to form a view on the proposed outsourcing.

The session ended with an exercise designed to indicate if we thought the proposed changes would affect the things we felt were most important about libraries.

The middle choice, which our group mostly went for, was entitled “no change/not sure”.

I do hope that any results will not use this to claim that everyone thought it would all be fine, when what they really meant was they couldn’t say because they weren’t provided with enough information.

Denise Craghill, Chair, York Green Party.