Independent social and economic research experts Ekosgen have undertaken a detailed appraisal looking at different options for reinstating a permanent library service in Ulverston.
That independent assessment has considered eight options against a range of objectives, including:
- How the options most effectively meet community needs and support a strong sense of community
- How the options best improve the vitality, diversity and sustainability of the library service and The Coro
- How the options contribute to the regeneration vision outlined in the Ulverston Place Plan
- How affordable and achievable each option is, and which offers the best value for money for Council Tax payers
The appraisal considered how to best deliver library services going forward, to ensure they are accessible, modern and ‘fit for the future’ and the preferred option is now subject to public engagement before any final decisions are made.
The options considered included looking at how much it would cost to re-open and upgrade the King’s Road building and whether co-locating the service in shared premises, such as a more permanent solution at The Coro, would offer the best long-term solution.
You can read more about the preferred option, see the plans, illustrations and complete the consultation on our online survey
Councillor Peter Thornton, Cabinet member for Assets and Highways, said: “We know that whatever we eventually approve it will involve significant cost, with millions of pounds of public money needing to be invested. We therefore need to make sure we get this right.
“We know that the King’s Road building, which is now more than 60 years old, would require considerable investment to make it fit-for-purpose, with not only the electrics but the heating system and fabric of the building requiring significant attention. That level of work doesn’t come cheap and it’s incorrect for people to suggest we only need to spend a few thousand pounds to ‘patch-up’ the electrics.
“There is simply no quick-fix solution that would provide a safe, sustainable service in that current building for our customers and staff. It requires wholesale investment and when we are considering spending such large amounts of public money we are obliged to think about things carefully, look at all of our options and have the evidence to support our decisions.
“This is especially important in the current climate, where public finances are very tight and so many councils are struggling, and we make no apologies for considering and balancing our options to ensure we invest wisely and in the best long-term interests of our communities.’’
Councillor Virginia Taylor, Cabinet member for Sustainable Communities and Localities, said: “Ulverston has one of our most important library services with a thriving membership and footfall. I am really disappointed that the King’s Road building is judged unsafe because obviously people are used to that building being the location for the library.
“We are absolutely not looking to close or diminish the library service in Ulverston. Indeed, the options we are looking at will enable us to look at ways to grow the library service in Ulverston.
“Libraries nowadays are multi-faceted places - for education, the community, the arts, for voluntary groups, and indeed for the council to have informal people-focused meetings - and for families especially to find support and advice.
“The council has to consider what’s the best way to meet the community’s needs now and in the future. We believe our preferred option presents some exciting ideas, involving significant investment in The Coro to provide a new permanent home for an extended library but also considerably improving community facilities at the Coro, adding to the sustainability of that really crucial Ulverston cultural institution.
“Everyone cares about the future of library provision in Ulverston and we understand people’s frustrations that it has taken time to assess all the options, but it is important that we do this in a careful, considered and evidenced way.
“We have been in contact with the Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to inform them of the situation and they have indicated they are supportive and comfortable with our approach.
“The community now has a chance to look at the proposals and comment on them before we commit to such an important decision.’’
Answers to your questions
Q: How much would the preferred option cost and how much would it cost to make King’s Road ‘fit for purpose’?
The independent assessment puts the estimated capital cost of delivering the preferred option, which involves the remodelling of The Coro to create a community café and more community meeting rooms, along with an enhanced library service and flexible community use spaces, at £2.5 million.
The independent costings for the refurbishment of King’s Road - to deliver a standalone library on that site that is fit for purpose – are estimated at £1.9 million. The scope of these works includes heating and electrical works, roofing repair, fabric works and refurbishment, to bring King’s Road up to the standard of Kendal or Barrow libraries.
To complete the refurbishment of King’s Road to house a stand-alone library service AND re-model The Coro to create the community café and better community spaces - but without the library service - would cost a total of £4.2 million.
The assessment concludes that the preferred option, to co-locate the library in The Coro, would deliver better value for money and a higher cost to benefit ratio than refurbishing both buildings, stating:
“The presence of a permanent library offer within The Coro is expected to be a key driver of footfall, supporting The Coro to become a focal point for the community and visitors.’’
Q: Why haven’t we been given a choice of options? You have only invited comment on your ‘preferred option’
We commissioned independent social and economic research experts Ekosgen to carry out a detailed appraisal looking at a range of options, eight in total, for reinstating a permanent library service in Ulverston.
These ranged from ‘do nothing’, to light touch repairs and full refurbishments of both The Coro and the King’s Road building.
We asked them to assess each of the eight options against the following key objectives:
- do they deliver high-quality library services in Ulverston?
- do they meet community needs and help create a strong sense of community?
- do they improve the cultural offer in Ulverston to support vitality, diversity and sustainability and are they relevant to the Ulverston community?
- do they protect and ensure the ongoing operation of The Coro as a valued community and cultural asset and iconic building?
- do they contribute to the financial sustainability of council-owned assets in Ulverston?
- do they contribute to wider place-making and regeneration ambitions for Ulverston, including the Ulverston Place Plan, by making the town centre a greater destination for residents and visitors?
- do they help reduce energy costs and carbon footprint?
- do they deliver best value for money (measured as how much social and community benefit is achieved relative to total cost)?
- how affordable and achievable are each of the options?
The evidence from those assessments was clear that the only option that met the majority of those objectives - and was both affordable and delivered value for money for the taxpayer - was the option that we are now consulting on.
Q: Lots of people are suggesting the council should just fix King’s Road and reopen the library there. How would that affect The Coro?
A: As described above, the cost of refurbishing King’s Road to bring it up to standard would be around £1.9 million.
We also know that The Coro requires investment. It is a valuable community asset but it is a large building that is costly to run and maintain and it needs to generate footfall and income to make sure it is sustainable in the future.
The previous operators understood this reality and were looking at their own investment programme to re-model the building and create, among other things, a café bar area.
The preferred option now being proposed by the council includes not only a café bar for The Coro but also brings in the library as an ‘anchor tenant’ to help increase footfall and revenue, especially during the daytime, and put a key community service in the building, further helping to protect its future.
The business case for the future operating model of The Coro will be considered by Cabinet in September 2024 and whether the library is co-located in The Coro or not will have a material impact on that business case.
Q: Some people have suggested the consultation is focused on one preferred option and you haven’t taken into account the strong feelings expressed by the campaigners who want to keep King’s Road open. Is this really an open, transparent and democratic process and shouldn’t you be taking more time?
We acknowledge that the campaign to save the King’s Road library demonstrates how valued the library service is in Ulverston.
However, the campaign has itself only been focused on a single proposal – to re-open the library in the King’s Road building.
Since the closure of King’s Road we have explained we needed time to look at a range of options for the future of the library service in Ulverston. We needed to work through a number of complex and inter-related factors to ensure that any investment would deliver the very best outcomes, for the users of the library, for the wider community and the taxpayer.
These factors included:
• whether the proposal continues to deliver a high-quality library service
• how well the proposal meets community needs
• how well the proposal supports arts and culture in Ulverston
• how the proposal could impact and contribute to the financial sustainability and vitality of The Coro, in line with the ambitions in the Ulverston Place Plan
• and is the proposal affordable, achievable and does it deliver value for money?
We commissioned independent social and economic research experts Ekosgen to carry out a detailed appraisal looking at a range of options, eight in total, for reinstating a permanent library service in Ulverston and, at the same time, to consider how those options related to and impacted The Coro.
It is important to remember that the council is also in the process of looking at the future operating model and business case for The Coro, since the venue was handed back to the council by the previous operator at the start of the year.
So any discussion about best and most effective use of assets in Ulverston for the benefit of the community therefore must include consideration of how any decisions impact The Coro moving forward.
We have been through exactly the same process with our assets and services in Barrow and Kendal, resulting in investment to re-model buildings to make them more flexible and co-locating community services like family hubs and adult learning alongside library services.
The options considered in the Ulverston appraisal ranged from ‘do nothing’, to light touch repairs and full refurbishments of both The Coro and the King’s Road building.
It has always been our intention to consult on any options that delivered against the key objectives, but it was necessary to carry out the options appraisal first to see which, if any, of the eight options most successfully met those objectives.
It was also important that these options were independently assessed.
We are looking to invest millions of pounds of public money, so we need to look at the options in detail to ensure we get this right and that we can be confident we have the evidence to support our case.
We also think the Ulverston community deserves to understand the outcome of that appraisal process.
We want people to understand the merits or otherwise of the different options, judged against the list of objectives and particularly how the options relate to the future of The Coro and wider community ambitions.
We want people to be able to see the situation ‘in the round’ and recognise this is about far more than whether or not we should fix King’s Road.
Our current consultation shares that ‘bigger picture’ and explains the assessment of the various options – including investing to repair and bring King’s Road up to standard, the preferred option for the campaigners - and how they scored against the objectives.
We believe this to be an open, honest and democratic approach and allows people to come to an informed conclusion when responding to the current consultation.
The evidence from the appraisal is clear that the only option that meets the majority of the objectives - and is both affordable and delivers value for money for the taxpayer – and this is the preferred option of the options we are now consulting on.
Ulverston Town Council, local councillors and community representatives have attended briefings where this approach has been outlined and explained and we have held further briefings prior to the start of the current consultation to present options including the preferred option in more detail and to answer questions.
As well as the public consultation on the option, we have also written directly to all library members, community groups, schools and other users of the library and Coro to invite their views.
We have set up displays and information in the library and staff have been on hand to answer questions from library and Coro users.
We have shared extensive information through our website and in the online consultation documents, including details of the options considered and how they were assessed, videos and visuals to help people to see how the preferred option could look and answered many of the frequently asked questions on our website Q&A.
As libraries are a statutory service, we have been in contact with the government’s Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) throughout and they have been supportive of our approach.
We had hoped to start the consultation in June and had already arranged briefings, including with the Town Council, to explain the process and answer questions.
Unfortunately, the announcement of the General Election meant that we were unable (under pre-election rules) to commence the consultation until after the pre-election period ended, which is why it started on 10 July and is running for 6 weeks.
We have to conclude our consultation and collate the results in order that they can be presented to the council’s Cabinet on 10 September.
As the decision on the library service has a material impact on the discussions about The Coro, we therefore need to understand the results of the current consultation before 10 September so those results can inform Cabinet decisions about both the future of the library service and the future operating model of The Coro.
Q: How much have you spent on the options appraisal and developing the preferred option, consultation materials and temporary facilities?
The appraisal work carried out by Ekosgen and the design options worked on by architects cost approximately £58,000.
It needs to be remembered that this exercise was not just about the library service, but was also looking at the impact of various options to inform decisions on the future operating model of The Coro, looking at what investment would be required in that venue as well as for the library.
So this figure was not just for works associated with the library service, but also to produce evidence to support discussions about the future of The Coro.
All the consultation materials were produced, designed and printed in-house at the council, including the pop-up banners, booklets and posters. Estimated cost for paper/products used is £500.
Costs associated with the temporary library facilities are largely related to the hire costs of the Ante Room in The Coro paid to the previous operator, before the venue reverted to council control at the start of the year.
We hired the Ante Room for 14 weeks from September to December at a total cost of £5,100.
Other works to enable temporary library facilities in council-operated facilities at the market hall and Supper Room have been minimal, mainly involving decoration and funded out of existing maintenance budgets.
Most of the shelving and equipment used in the temporary Ulverston library space in The Coro was either moved from King’s Road or relocated from existing library stock elsewhere in Westmorland and Furness. Some new flexible shelving was purchased from existing budgets and has been used in the temporary library and these units can be utilised across any of our libraries.
Q: The King’s Road building was used by a lot of community groups. Wouldn’t the preferred option to relocate to The Coro mean some of those community activities would be lost?
Far from looking to reduce services and facilities, the options appraisal process has looked carefully at how we can not only maintain but how we can expand and develop our community-based services around the library and The Coro, including looking at opportunities to work more closely with partners such as health and emergency services on community drop-ins and advice sessions.
The conclusion of the appraisal is that co-locating the library in The Coro provides more opportunities for community activities, not less.
Since we opened the temporary library in The Coro we have been able to host regular groups and activities there, including:
• Storytimes for under 5s
• Reading Groups
• Crochet Group
• IT support group
• Writer’s group
• Chess Club
• PCSO drop-in
• Resettlement team drop-in
• Friendship Group
• Pokemon Club
Other community groups that had previously used King’s Road, such as Ulverston Men’s Group, Ulverston Women’s Group and Ulverston Bike Project, have been supported to find alternative space in council facilities to be able to continue their meetings and activities, including in the market hall, and have indicated they are currently happy with the new arrangements. We would be only too happy to discuss the potential for returning to the library when a decision on a long-term solution for the service is determined.
Working with The Coro and having the opportunity to use the extended space available in the wider venue, the temporary library has also been able to successfully introduce some new groups and expand some existing clubs and activities, including:
• Linking up with the Coro Craft Club to provide a joint offer in the temporary library
• World Book Night quiz events
• Murder Mystery nights
• Expanded Wordsworth Grasmere family activities using extra space in The Coro
• Sing It Loud! A library event with South Lakes Music School
• The Greatest Robot Ever! A children’s library event that makes use of the larger space available in the Main Hall
• Library activities to support workshops, displays, events and taster sessions for festivals including Flag Fortnight, PrintFest, Ulverston Pride, Lantern Festival and Furness Tradition Festival
Some of these library events and activities would not have been possible in the King’s Road building prior to its closure.
With the larger, flexible library area and new children’s library, more flexible community spaces on the first and second floors, new community café/bar and more accessible facilities, the options appraisal concludes that the preferred option of the options being consulted on would enable much more of this joined-up activity, ensuring The Coro and library can work in harmony to expand and develop community activities in the future - making the services even more vibrant and sustainable and better for the Ulverston community.
Q: I’ve heard reference to the Ulverston Place Plan and how you have taken this in to account when considering the options for the library. What is the Ulverston Place Plan?
A: Ulverston Place Plan was drawn up by Ulverston’s Town Team, which is made up of representatives from Ulverston businesses, schools and community groups alongside the local councils.
The Place Plan vision was agreed following a community consultation, workshops and interviews in 2020, which asked local people and organisations for their views on opportunities to build local pride and confidence in the town and further develop Ulverston’s unique selling points.
A list of key projects was identified, including ambitions to:
- Provide improved space for cultural activities
- Protect Ulverston’s heritage buildings, specifically The Roxy and The Coronation Hall
The Place Plan states: “For Ulverston to really assume the mantle of a cultural hub it is important to have a high-quality destination area within the centre which can be a combination of the Coronation Hall, now named The Coro, the Roxy Cinema, the Laurel and Hardy Museum and potentially a public plaza.”
You can read more about the Ulverston Place Plan at: Ulverston Place Plan (cumbria.gov.uk)
Q: If the library is permanently housed in the Supper Room as proposed won’t that mean some big events at The Coro – that use all the rooms – be compromised?
A: A library in the Supper Room would be designed with shelving and furniture that is fully flexible and can be moved to create a multi-functional space, so the room would be available for hires and activities such as art exhibitions and meetings outside library opening hours, such as evenings and weekends.
These events would therefore be at times when the rest of The Coro is likely in use, making it easier to staff and manage and ensuring the venue is being fully utilised, for more of the year, adding to its sustainability.
Under the proposed option, moving the current kitchen and current upstairs bar to the ground floor allows for the library space to be expanded. Moving the current staff offices that are on the ground floor up into the top floor attic space allows the ground floor to be re-modelled to create considerably expanded community/event spaces, to include a new community café/bar and new flexible event and activity areas. This would therefore replicate the space and facilities in the Supper Room used by the occasional larger events that use multiple rooms at the venue.
There are only a handful of regular large events during the year that have historically booked all rooms in The Coro and have required access to those rooms all day.
Analysis of bookings for 2022 and 2023 demonstrates the Supper Room was only booked for an average of 31 days each year. Many of those bookings were for activities and evening meetings outside normal library opening times, meaning these bookings can still be easily accommodated in the flexible library space if required without disruption to the library service, while whole-venue events during the day would now have the option to use the new community spaces and facilities on the ground floor, minimising any impact on the library during normal opening hours.
Crucially, it also means that more of The Coro will be in use for more of the year, making it more accessible for more events and more sustainable. Previously, outside those handful of larger events, the Supper Room has not been in use for more than 300 days each year.
Q: What is the current situation with the Ulverston Library building on King’s Road?
A: The building is currently not safe to be used due to the discovery of issues with the building’s electrics during routine statutory checks.
We have now made a thorough check of the building and have taken steps to isolate the power supply to make the main electrics safe but have ensured that security systems continue to have power.
This means the building is secure, but it cannot be opened to the public as the main supply powering lights/heating is not operational. It also cannot be used as a workplace for our staff for the same health and safety reasons.
Our first priority after having to shut the building on King’s Road was to try to get some form of library service back up and running as soon as we were able.
That resulted in the opening of the temporary pop-up service in the Ante Room at The Coro, which included book borrowing and public access laptops and printers.
A second phase of the temporary provision was opened at Ulverston Market Hall, including more stock for borrowing as well as space for community groups, meetings and events.
Once the management of The Coro reverted to the council on 1 January 2024, the council was able to look at an expanded temporary library offer on a single site and a much larger facility has now opened in the Supper Room at The Coro.
We are now consulting on the preferred option for reinstating a permanent library service in Ulverston.
The temporary library offer currently in the Supper Room is NOT the preferred option.
The preferred option being consulted on is for a significantly enhanced library space, utilising the current Supper Room and expanded into other areas to create a much larger and purpose-designed space, with better facilities and access to the improvements on the ground floor of The Coro, including a new cafe bar.
Q: What else is wrong with the King’s Road building? Isn’t this just a result of a lack of maintenance?
A: We already know that the heating system requires upgrading and the general fabric of the building will also require attention before long.
Anyone who is familiar with the building will also know that some areas have not been used (including the upstairs rooms) for some time because they are not currently suitable for public use and are not Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant.
So it has been known for some time that the building – which was opened in 1961 and so is now more than 60 years old – wasn’t being fully utilised and had various emerging issues.
Regular maintenance has been carried out to ensure the areas of the building used by the public continued to be safe, but it was also clear that at some point King’s Road would require significant investment to bring it up to the standards we’d expect from a modern library service, not only in terms of the fabric of the building but also digital connectivity, more flexible spaces for community use etc.
This is part of an ongoing programme of improvements to our libraries and we have been through similar processes with our libraries in Barrow and Kendal, where we have also been careful to determine the most effective way to invest in those services to deliver the best outcome for library users and the local community.
In both Barrow and Kendal this has resulted in the co-location of other services, such as family hubs and adult learning, as we look to make important community services more accessible and ensure the most effective and sustainable use of our buildings.
The electrical issues identified that have forced the closure of King’s Road - and we regret that it has caused disruption to the service - have hastened that discussion about how that investment would be best spent to meet Ulverston’s needs.
Q: What are the opening hours for the current temporary library facilities in The Coro?
A: Originally we had an agreement to hire the Ante Room in The Coro from the former operator and therefore the opening hours of the pop-up library had to be in line with the opening hours of The Coro, which were determined by former operator.
These opening times were fairly limited and we know this had caused some concern about access to library services.
As many people will know, from 1 January 2024 the council took over the management of The Coro and has therefore been able to review the operating hours of the venue and the opening hours of the temporary library service. We have now put in place much longer opening hours and weekend opening.
The temporary library in the Supper Room at the Coro is now open in line with those at King's Road, and the Supper Room is open at the following times:
Monday and Tuesday, 9am to 5pm
Wednesday 9am to 1pm
Thursday 9am to 6pm
Friday 9am to 5pm
Saturday 9am to 1pm
Q: What about people with mobility issues or who are nervous about coming to a different building?
The Supper Room in The Coro is served by a DDA compliant lift, which has just been repaired and serviced. The shelving in the Supper Room itself has been arranged to allow wheelchair access and our library staff will also be on hand to help customers to access books and the full range of library services.
The Coro is also on the ‘town’ side of the A590, which we are hoping will make it easier and more convenient for the majority of people to access. We know from speaking to our regular customers that, for many of them, having to cross the busy A590 to get to King’s Road was always one of its disadvantages, especially for people with mobility issues.
There's a bus stop opposite the Coro entrance and there are disabled parking bays immediately outside the Coro. There's also a public car park with more disabled parking just around the corner in Theatre Street.
We also offer a home delivery service and have added extra resource in this area to support people to access lending services while the library building is closed. Anyone unable to visit the temporary library during opening hours and who wants to find out more about this service can call 01539 713524 to talk to library staff about being added to the home delivery.
Q: Isn’t this just an excuse to reduce library services in Ulverston to save money?
A: No, absolutely not. We fully recognise the library’s importance to Ulverston. We have been clear that the council considers the library service in Ulverston to be one of our most important in the new council area.
It is not only a popular library, but also provides a home to community group meetings and community-based services, with more than 2,800 members and an average 4,000 footfall each month. It is a model of the sort of vital community-focused service that this council values highly.
We recognise its importance to the town and we are fully committed to retaining and delivering a library service in Ulverston that maintains that community-centred approach.
Far from reducing services, we are looking for opportunities to expand and enhance the library offer in Ulverston, so we can build on the great work of the current library building but want to consider if we can do even better, offer even more and we want to look at how that could be achieved.
Q: What about all the community groups that use the current library – what will happen to them?
A: As previously stated, we know that Ulverston is one of our most active and popular libraries, both with users of the service and the many community groups, organisations and individuals who use the building, for everything from being a place to get out of the cold during the winter months as one of our ‘Warm Spots’, to access to public PCs and printers and a place to meet and socialise.
The first phase of the temporary pop-up library service in the Ante Room at the Coro had public access laptops and printers available and the second phase of the pop-up service in the market hall included space for regular activities such as community group meetings.
The Market Hall units will continue to be used as a meeting space for community groups - including the young people’s chess club and an advice and support group for Ukrainian refugees - whose members have indicated they would like to stay in the market for now. The council is also discussing with the Repair Café group about using the Market Hall units for their activities, including providing repair services for clothing and small electrical items.
The temporary library in the Supper Room at The Coro is a fully flexible space, with shelving that can be moved to create a multi-functional room that is still available for hires and activities and has already been used for activities connected to events in the main hall.
Whatever happens in the future, we fully intend that the long-term plan for Ulverston library services will continue to include provision for community groups and organisations.
A modern library is about much more than borrowing books and we see this community-focused offer as the lifeblood of the library.
It is also precisely why we are considering all our options for the future location so that we can look to maximise that community benefit, creating a flexible, accessible community space where we can even expand and develop that side of the service.