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| Surrey library volunteer plan ruled unlawful by High Court | Surrey library volunteer plan ruled unlawful by High Court |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Surrey County Council's plan for 10 libraries to be run by volunteers has been ruled unlawful by the High Court. | |
| The council had planned the community library scheme in a move aimed at keeping its 52 libraries open. | The council had planned the community library scheme in a move aimed at keeping its 52 libraries open. |
| Campaigners opposed the move on the basis paid staff were more knowledgeable in being able to provide assistance to vulnerable users. | Campaigners opposed the move on the basis paid staff were more knowledgeable in being able to provide assistance to vulnerable users. |
| Mr Justice Wilkie said the authority "failed to have due regard to the equality issues" raised by the case. | Mr Justice Wilkie said the authority "failed to have due regard to the equality issues" raised by the case. |
| The judge will decide whether to make an order quashing the council's decision following a short hearing expected to take place next month. | The judge will decide whether to make an order quashing the council's decision following a short hearing expected to take place next month. |
| Surrey County Council said it was pleased Mr Justice Wilkie had not criticised its libraries plans, meaning the proposals could still go ahead. | Surrey County Council said it was pleased Mr Justice Wilkie had not criticised its libraries plans, meaning the proposals could still go ahead. |
| Protesters had asked him to overturn the council's decision to create community-partnered libraries but his judgement had not done that, the authority said in a statement. | |
| "The judgement simply said the cabinet should have had more information in front of it about the work the council had already done to develop equalities training for volunteers, when it made its decision in September," the council added. | |
| 'Terrible impact' | |
| Legal proceedings were issued by a group of Surrey residents who formed the Surrey Libraries Action Movement (Slam). | |
| The decision was challenged on the basis the council had failed to discharge its public sector equality duties under the Equality Act 2010. | |
| Lawyers for the group said the Act required the council "to give rigorous regard to how removing paid staff would affect the accessibility of libraries to protected groups, including children, elderly and disabled persons". | |
| The main claimants who brought the legal challenge were Nicholas Dorrington and Lucy Williams. | |
| Mr Dorrington said: "It is a great disappointment that the council has wasted thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money trying to ignore and ride roughshod over public criticism and outrage, defending the indefensible." | |
| Ms Williams added: "Libraries are such an important part of local communities and for Surrey County Council to remove funding for library staff would have had a terrible impact on the local area." | |
| 'Thriving libraries' | |
| Helyn Clack, Surrey County Council's cabinet member for community services, said: "Today's decision is no reflection on our plans for communities to run local libraries with support from the county council. | |
| "Our aim all along has been to keep all Surrey's libraries open and help them thrive, while elsewhere in the country branches are closing. We've listened to disability groups to develop training programmes for volunteers from the start and the judge recognised this." | |
| The libraries identified as possible community facilities are Bagshot, Bramley, Byfleet, Ewell Court, Lingfield, New Haw, Stoneleigh, Tattenhams, Virginia Water and Warlingham. | |
| Under the plans, communities would take over their day-to-day running. | |
| The council would continue to provide everything else, including the building, the stock, computer equipment and the installation of free wi-fi in all its libraries. |