Official Report 1035KB pdf
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-16155, in the name of Mark Ruskell, on save local libraries.
The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to participate to press their request-to-speak buttons now or as soon as possible.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes what it sees as the vital role that local libraries play in their communities, acting as central hubs for borrowing, learning, community engagement and sourcing advice and support; believes that the closure of libraries leaves communities without these vital services, and that this is particularly damaging for rural areas where libraries can be heavily relied on; considers that library closures have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, including children, older residents and people with limited access to digital resources; notes the reported concerns raised by communities around the proposed closure of libraries across Scotland, including the threatened closure of those in the Perth and Kinross Council area; understands that local authorities have a legal obligation to provide public library services; believes that mobile libraries are often not suitable alternatives; considers that library services require adequate public funding to remain viable and have a critical role to play in achieving the Scottish Government’s priorities, including eradicating child poverty; believes that a closed library is unlikely to reopen, permanently limiting opportunities for the communities they once served, and notes the calls on the Scottish Government to help protect the future of Scotland’s libraries.
17:22
I thank those members who signed my motion to bring the debate to the chamber. I am sure that members will wish to thank the communities that have fought so hard to save our libraries, and to thank librarians for their tireless work.
I was delighted to host library campaigners from across Scotland, and from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Scotland, in Parliament today, and we had an insightful discussion with members at lunch time. I welcome those who have joined us in the public gallery, and many more who are watching online.
In recent months, we have seen an outpouring of love for our libraries, which shows how critical they are to the health of our communities, especially in this post-Covid age, when there are real dangers of social isolation and misinformation at large. Seven libraries across Perthshire have been threatened with closure, from Alyth to Auchterarder and Birnam to Comrie, and Scone, and libraries that will remain open are likely to have their hours cut from April this year. Most of those are rural libraries, and once they are gone, they will be gone forever.
Throughout the winter, I have been to some big demonstrations in Perthshire and attended online meetings, at which people have told warm-hearted stories of how important libraries are to them. It is clear that libraries are about so much more than just book borrowing. In Scone, I learned about how vital the library is for older people, enabling them to come together and share memories, especially those who are suffering with dementia. Those reminiscence groups are one of the few places where sufferers can escape the fog of dementia and feel truly heard.
One constituent pointed out that because the local primary school does not have its own dedicated library, the services at Scone library have helped to fill that gap. In Birnam, a father told us how his family have borrowed “hundreds” of books, while a mother told us how visiting the library is a highlight of her daughter’s week and is encouraging a real love of reading in her and all her friends.
Across Scotland, libraries host workshops and activities that benefit the community. There are knitting and toddler groups, and every library in Scotland offers free or low-cost activities such as bookbug, which is designed to support early-years development. Those activities are vital for communities, helping to connect the local community and build support networks for people at all stages of life. Libraries are often the last free, warm facilities that are available in many rural communities. They are genuinely a lifeline.
It is ironic that closures are being proposed to make savings for Perth and Kinross Council when that is clearly a false economy. Perth and Kinross Council spends less than any other council on its library services, despite having the second-highest level of library usage in Scotland. Removing warm, free spaces that combat social isolation will have a negative cost to the council and to health services in the long run. It is no wonder, therefore, that Perthshire’s communities have mobilised against closures, organising petitions and working together. They have a positive vision that is about thriving libraries, not just fighting closures.
Communities have been meeting with Culture Perth and Kinross, which is the arm’s-length company that was set up by the council to run the libraries. CPK is, admittedly, in a difficult position, as years of underfunding from the council have meant that it is now at the point at which it has to either shut services or pass them over to community-led management. However, rural communities in Perthshire are already being asked to take over other services from which the council has retreated, and volunteers can only do so much to backfill cuts.
Community-led management might be an option for some libraries, but negotiation cannot take place under the threat of immediate closures. Negotiation has to be respectful, and the cuts must be taken off the table first. The council is also exploring options such as click-and-collect style services and more mobile libraries, but those should be additional services, not a replacement. Once again, I stress that libraries are not just about borrowing books—they are about so much more than that. Closing local services will also force people to travel further. Should Birnam library close, for example, residents will either need to travel for half an hour to Perth or negotiate a dangerous junction on the A9 to head north to Pitlochry. Both options are costly in time and in money.
The council has options. This year’s budget settlement provides the flexibility to stop the cuts this year. In fact, the council’s finance and resources committee was meeting this afternoon to scrutinise the administration’s draft budget, ahead of a final decision later this month. It looks like communities are finally being heard on the issue, and there is at least a stay of execution that can be agreed. I think that it is fair to say, however, that Perth and Kinross Council has overstretched its resources on projects such as Perth Museum, without fully considering the impact on core library services. While Edinburgh has introduced a tourism levy in order to invest millions in its cultural offering, thousands of overnight stays across Perthshire currently bring in no levy income at all. That needs to change.
Many campaigners across Scotland feel like they are on a treadmill, with proposals to cut libraries being brought back year after year. A total of 53 libraries have closed across Scotland since 2014, and many more are now slated for closure, so it is a critical time right now. The Perth and Kinross Council area is not alone. In my region, library closure proposals in Stirling are back again for consultation, while Clackmannanshire Council is proposing to cut every single library except one.
The Scottish Government’s public library improvement fund is a welcome source of project funding, but it does not stop the systemic reduction in core funding that we are now witnessing. A redefinition of what constitutes statutory library provision, especially in rural areas, is desperately needed, and I would welcome a commitment from the Scottish Government tonight to explore that. What constitutes the “adequate provision” set out in legislation is currently a very low bar, as is the requirement around consultation.
As we look to the next libraries strategy in 2026, now is the time for Government to connect with grass-roots communities and library professionals, hear their voices and act to protect the future.
Libraries must remain the beating heart of our communities, and I look forward to hearing the reflections of other members and the Minister for Public Finance in the debate.
It will surprise nobody, I am sure, to hear that the debate is heavily oversubscribed. We will need to extend it, but even so, I am conscious that, with a delayed decision time and a number of events in Parliament this evening, I will have to ask members to stick to their time, if not less. I will be cutting them off if they do not.
With that, we move to the open debate. I call Christine Grahame—you have up to four minutes, Ms Grahame.
17:30
Warning duly noted, Deputy Presiding Officer.
I congratulate the member on securing the debate. This is not the first time that I have leapt to the defence of our public libraries, and I welcome those in the public gallery and beyond who are listening.
Before I go on to speak about the libraries in my constituency, I note that one of the reasons that I am the beneficiary of two degrees can be attributed to my then local library at Blackhall, in Edinburgh.
Stuck for somewhere to study at home—we were five children, stretching from ages one to 16; the 16-year-old was me—in a cramped council house, I sought sanctuary in that library and stumbled across critiques of Shakespeare plays that I had been studying for my highers. I never knew that such books had been written and I could not put them down. That A pass in higher English passported me to university. That in itself led to my career as a secondary teacher, and then as a solicitor and a politician—thanks all to Blackhall library, although I do not know if the library will thank me for being a politician.
Indeed, as a novice teacher, my own education improved in leaps and bounds thanks to the wonderful, eccentric Dorothy Devlin, who was then the librarian at Woodmill high school in Dunfermline, which was my very first posting. I think that, as a team, we made English as a subject worthwhile, and even fun. She also stood her ground against an attempt to censor her stock of books. There was something wild and radical about her, so even though she had a bun, and spectacles on the end of her nose, she put paid to the assumption that librarians are boring—they are radical. Today, there is the internet, which is useful, of course, but it cannot replace the feel and look of a book, which has no annoying pop-ups.
To fast-forward decades, as an MSP, I hold two of my surgeries in local libraries at Newtongrange and Gorebridge; indeed, my next surgery is due this Friday. Like many libraries, they go beyond books—-there are CDs and newspapers, and the library provides not only a spot for a politician, but internet access and training. There are reading groups for under-fives, bookbug sessions and mums-and-toddlers sessions. Indeed, I frequently encounter a crawling toddler as I listen to a constituent’s concerns. I am also well acquainted with “The Wheels on the Bus” and other ditties.
There are folk for whom the library is a destination where they can pick up a book or two and have a wee chat with the librarian, and keep warm now that their winter fuel payment, at least for this year, is gone—that is politics. I do even better—I am provided with a cup of coffee and, depending on the duty librarian, even a biscuit or two, so I am right in there in the thick of it with what libraries are all about.
I end on this quote from Laura Ward, an American singer:
“Libraries always remind me that there are good things in this world.”
Let us keep our libraries, with all the diverse opportunities and spaces that they provide, right at the heart of their communities—and if they try to close one in my constituency, I will be right there, barricading the doors.
That was exemplary time keeping, Ms Grahame.
17:33
I thank Christine Grahame—that was a lovely speech. I also thank Mark Ruskell for bringing the debate to the chamber, as it is very important. I apologise for not making it to the lunch-time event today—unfortunately, I had another meeting on, but it would been fantastic to have met the many campaigners that I am sure were there.
I desperately wanted to speak about this issue, in part because of my position as an ex-councillor, which I will come to in a minute, but also because I want to talk, as Christine Grahame has just done, about the many things that highlight the value of libraries to our communities. We use libraries at different stages of life. As a young child, I went to a library with my mother and enjoyed reading the books there. As a student, I went there to learn and find books on what my school teacher was telling me about. At university, I used the library a lot. When I had children myself, we would go to the library not just weekly, but several times a week, and sit on the floor and read the very many books—more than I could ever provide at home for my young children.
I have, therefore, never enjoyed hearing people talk about the amount of people who go into a library or reduce it to simple numbers, because that is not what a library is about. Some weeks, a library might get more visitors, and other weeks it will get less, but we all use libraries at different stages of life, and to me, that is the value of libraries. I also associate myself with the remarks about librarians, who do fantastic work. Their work is now about more than just books—they point people to housing and to computers. They are amazing, and I have never walked into Buckie library in my community and not received a warm, smiling welcome, so I think that they do an absolutely brilliant job.
However, the other reason that I wanted to speak today concerns the pressures that I faced in 2017, and which many councillors face now. When I walked into Moray Council in 2017, I was absolutely eager. I had been a community councillor and was heavily involved in my church and in many aspects of the community, and all that I wanted to do was serve the people of Buckie.
The first week that we were there, the chief executive took us all, as new councillors, to one side and we had presentation after presentation that told me that I had no money; that I had to cut budgets; that there was nothing that I could do; and that it was all in front-line services. I have never felt so distraught in my life. To be honest, I felt so pressured that week, even more so than when I came to Parliament for the first time last February. It felt awful, but that is the pressure that our councils are under.
I have yet to meet a councillor—please tell me if there are some—who wants to shut a local library. Such councillors do not exist—nobody wants to do that, but we are forced to do it because of budget pressures, and it is essential to get that point across. We want our councillors to keep these libraries open, but I call on the Scottish National Party Government to think seriously about why we are even talking about the issue in the chamber.
It is not just me who is saying that—it is the Accounts Commission, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Fraser of Allander Institute and Audit Scotland. All those independent organisations are telling us that council funding has been cut, but it is not just that—
I would like Tim Eagle to square that with the £1 billion in tax cuts that his party would implement, and the further pressure that that would put on local government budgets.
I was just about to be nice, because I was going to say that it is also about the other pressures on councils. We have faced abnormal pressures in adult health and social care, to say the least.
The budget conversation that we are having is about growth. The Conservative party is a low-tax, small-state party—that is what the Conservatives stand for, and it is perfectly reasonable, in this day and age, to have that viewpoint. We believe that we can take Scotland forward in a low-tax economy—in fact, our businesses might agree with that.
That is the point. If the Scottish Government is not going to give more money directly to councils, but if it does want to save libraries—it will be interesting to hear what the minister says in summing up—it will be crucial that he puts a further pot in place to protect our local libraries.
17:37
I thank Mark Ruskell for bringing the debate to the chamber, and I join other members in welcoming campaigners who have joined us in the public gallery. Unfortunately, I was unable to meet the campaigners at lunch time today, due to a prior commitment in Fife, but I recognise the work that those who are involved in the campaigns have been doing and continue to do, and I acknowledge the correspondence that I have received from concerned constituents.
Last year, the Scottish Book Trust published “The value and impact of Scotland’s libraries” report. A quote from that report is highlighted in one of the briefings that we have received for the debate, and I would like to share it. The report states:
“Nowhere else in modern life, whether urban or rural, is there a public space where anyone can enter and remain without the expectation of payment or labour. Nowhere else is there a public space where people can access information, combat digital poverty, learn new skills, socialise with others, express themselves creatively and seek to self-improve, entirely for free. These institutions are vital for every person in Scotland, and they are endangered.”
For our children, libraries are gateways to literacy and learning. I know how important Kelty library was for me, and I remember the excitement of graduating to an adult library card at 14—I even remember the book that I took out. Libraries provide access to a diverse range of books, fostering a love of reading through various challenges and encouraging the exploration of new genres. Programmes such as bookbug not only introduce young minds to the joy of stories but offer new parents a platform to connect and build social bonds and support maternal mental health.
For adults, libraries offer quiet spaces that are conducive to work and study, helping to reduce household expenses by providing a warm and free workspace. They can serve as hubs for skills development, digital access and community engagement. As others have recognised, for older people, libraries are vital in helping to combat social isolation. They offer opportunities to engage in lifelong learning, participate in community events and access resources that might otherwise be out of reach.
The proposed closure of a number of libraries in Perth and Kinross, most of which serve rural communities, has prompted many constituents, who are concerned about the plans, to contact me. Libraries such as Alyth, Scone, Birnam and Comrie are key parts of those communities, and people are worried that they will be lost. I have corresponded with Perth and Kinross Council and with Culture Perth and Kinross about the plans, and they have made it clear to me that the decisions have been driven by financial considerations—that point was repeated in a reply that I received from them today.
I have asked the Scottish Government to consider what action it could take to prevent closures from being required. I have also asked Perth and Kinross Council whether it could look again at its funding decisions following budget announcements. In particular, I urge the council to reconsider its plans for the North Inch in Perth, given its importance as a school library. I hope that that will be taken into account in forthcoming budget considerations.
Of course, libraries have running costs, and the financial pressures on our local authorities mean that they need to look at where savings can be made. Campaigners are keen to explore different funding sources. They also know that, if a library closes, it is unlikely to reopen, which is why they are calling for time to develop sustainable solutions that acknowledge and leverage the pivotal role that libraries play in our communities. For example, consideration could be given to targeted funding that could support libraries as part of our educational and social infrastructure. Some are also exploring management models and considering whether direct council control would be more efficient.
All members will agree that libraries are invaluable resources, as well as part of our communities. I hope that a solution can be found that means that they can continue to be so.
17:40
I add my thanks to Mark Ruskell for securing this extremely important debate.
Like Mr Ruskell and several other members in the chamber, I attended the recent rally in Perth city centre. My inbox has been full of emails from constituents expressing, in vivid terms, how upset they are about potential library closures. That is why I raised the issue at First Minister’s question time on 12 December. I was grateful that John Swinney recognised the role of libraries, but I hope that the Scottish Government recognises just how strongly local people feel about the issue.
My constituents, many of whom are in the public gallery, are facing local library closures in Comrie, Auchterarder, Alyth, Scone and Birnam. All have made the point that, in a budget year that could see quite substantial council tax rises, they want their services to reflect those payments. If we are asking constituents to pay more, they do not want to have fewer services. That is a valid point that many of them have made.
The demonstration in Perth had somewhere between 200 and 250 attendees. That is credit to the campaigners in the Save Our Rural Libraries group, who have done such an excellent job in raising the profile of the issue and garnering the widespread support of MSPs and local councillors. It was obvious to all who were in the crowd that day that—to come back to Christine Grahame’s point—the love of libraries transcends generations. Both young and older people who were there spoke, and many others who had been doing their shopping in the city centre joined in as the demonstration was taking place.
That diversity has been reflected in the correspondence that members have received from people who—rightly, in my opinion—have been venting their frustration. Part of that frustration came about because they felt that there had not been a proper consultation process. By some accounts, some fairly frequent library users had been unaware of that so-called consultation process, which was deeply regrettable.
Earlier in the debate, we heard why library facilities are so important to our local communities. There is substantial evidence that they generate meaningful economic, educational and social value. They are critical to tackling inequalities by providing wide-ranging learning resources to people who could otherwise not afford them.
However, we all know that libraries go far beyond just simple access to books and intellectual stimulation; they are social hubs and are important for local networking. That is even more the case in rural areas and, as Mark Ruskell rightly said, it has been so true following the Covid pandemic. We all owe a debt of gratitude for the facilities that libraries provide to our campaigners.
I am happy to support the motion in the name of Mark Ruskell.
17:43
I, too, thank Mark Ruskell for putting this motion down before the Parliament.
In September last year, I asked the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture how the Government planned to support the retention of Scotland’s public libraries. With an air of casual indifference, he told the Parliament that, on top of the general revenue funding to local authorities, the Scottish Government provided £665,000 a year to the Scottish Library and Information Council. But, for more than a decade, funding to Scotland’s local councils has been disproportionately cut by this Government, so the pressure on municipal libraries is becoming unbearable. He must have known that a payment that is static in cash terms is a cut in funding, year on year, in real terms.
In fact, since this Government came to power, spending on our public libraries is down, book stocks are down, library staff numbers are down, librarian numbers are down, opening hours are down and over 120 public libraries have closed for good.
Libraries matter. They are a vital part of our children’s education. They combat digital exclusion and social isolation. They are anchor institutions that can help to stimulate the urban regeneration of our towns and city centres. They represent a world beyond the market—a safe, equal, democratic, free space, run not for profit but for enlightenment.
In an increasingly digital society, libraries are not needed less; they are needed even more. In an age of deliberate online disinformation, fuelled by right-wing politicians and media, they provide an antidote: curated sources, the provenance of which can be trusted.
Literacy does not just enhance people as units of economic production; it enriches them as human beings. Literacy is an end in itself. The pleasure of reading broadens horizons, so it is my belief that public lending and reference libraries represent one of the most enduring and successful forms of state cultural provision over the past century and a half. It is no accident that 100 years ago—20 years before the creation of the national health service—Nye Bevan chaired the library committee of the Tredegar Workmen’s Institute. In the face of the depression of the 1920s and 1930s, it did not close branches down; it opened new branches up.
I admire Richard Leonard’s praise for Nye Bevan and other socialists. However, would he recognise the role that capitalist entrepreneurs and philanthropists such as Andrew Carnegie played in providing libraries that were free for working people?
Well, I have a certain view about Andrew Carnegie and the part that he played in a steel dispute in America in the 19th century—but that is perhaps for another day.
Let me return to the municipal road to socialism. Libraries were a burning flame of knowledge. They symbolised that change was possible. They came to represent an understanding that progress is not simply measured by material conditions alone and that you can rise with your class, not out of your class. It is an idea that is in danger of being extinguished.
Finally, I was struck, when I visited Falkirk central library on Monday, that libraries in this century are about not just books but the spoken word, free computer access, bus passes, local history, football memories, Lego sessions, the lending out of jigsaw puzzles, free home library services for people who have difficulty getting out and about, a musical instrument library and a bookbug session, all in the one library—
You need to conclude.
Let me finish with the words of the author Philip Pullman—
Briefly.
He said:
“I love the public library service for what it did for me as a child, and as a student, and as an adult. I love it because its presence in a town or a city reminds us that there are things above profit, things that profit knows nothing about, things that have the power to baffle the greedy ghost of market fundamentalism.”
Thank you, Mr Leonard. Even with the intervention, that would not have come in at four minutes.
17:49
I congratulate Mark Ruskell on securing the debate—it is extremely important, and I am delighted to speak in it, as it allows me to put on record my profound gratitude to the campaigners who are fighting against library closures by Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council. I have had the pleasure of working with them, and I know that one of them, Kate Johnstone, is in the gallery this evening. She has been a real force in the fight to save Cullen library, and she knows and understands how important libraries are.
There is an apt quote by Professor R David Lankes:
“Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.”
It is with and for those communities that I speak today. They understand, as I do, that libraries are vital hubs that provide far more than books. Their closures are not just a loss of service but a blow to the very heart of our communities.
The closure of libraries in Scotland, particularly in rural areas such as Aberdeenshire and Moray, is a direct result of short-sighted, cost-cutting councils and it disregards the essential role that libraries play in supporting children, older residents and those who lack digital access.
I do not doubt that councils are struggling financially. We know that times are really tough. However, what does Tim Eagle think that 14 years of Tory austerity have done to our public services? To Richard Leonard, whose party is upholding that and adding more pressure with the national insurance tax on jobs, I say that Labour is constantly blaming the Scottish Government for those things, but the Scottish National Party Government is trying to resolve the issue. Local councillors set the priorities and make the decisions—they have the power.
The libraries that are earmarked for closure in my constituency of Banffshire and Buchan Coast—Cullen, Macduff, Rosehearty and Cairnbulg, and more—are not just buildings but thriving community centres. SNP council groups in those councils have offered budgets that do not include the cuts to library services.
I was privileged to meet save Cullen library campaigners and to host a public meeting to support them. I must point out that all the members of the public who attended that meeting were women, highlighting equality issues, which I will come on to later in my speech.
I have also visited Macduff library, where I met a campaigner, and I saw at first hand the lifeline that those spaces provide. In a cost of living crisis, libraries offer free internet and help residents to navigate services. They also provide them with warm spaces and social interaction. I saw the children’s corner with sensory play and vital health signposting. Those services are indispensable to rural communities as costs soar.
Closures will hit those who can least afford them, and children will lose reading clubs and after-school activities. Older residents, many of whom already face digital exclusion, will be cut off from resources and community connections.
The Scottish Government has a steadfast commitment to culture and communities. Despite Westminster austerity, it has delivered a record £34 million to boost the culture budget this year as part of a £100 million pledge by 2028-29. Local authorities will receive an extra £5 billion, and an extra £144 million was announced just yesterday to cover United Kingdom Government-imposed national insurance costs that threaten public services.
Ultimately, this is an equalities issue. Under the Equality Act 2010, the public sector equality duty compels local authorities to consider how their decisions impact people with protected characteristics such as disability, age and gender. Many of those people are library users who will be impacted negatively by closures. Councils must take that responsibility seriously. Any failure to do so not only risks harming the most vulnerable, but opens up the potential for legal challenges. Ignoring equality is unjust, but it is also unlawful. Stand up for your communities, and please save our libraries.
The last couple of speeches have come in over the time limit. If that continues, those who speak later in the debate will not get the full allocation. I call Paul Sweeney, who has up to four minutes, to be followed by Maggie Chapman.
17:53
I, too, congratulate Mr Ruskell, the member for Mid Scotland and Fife, on securing the debate on an issue that affects all our communities. After all, libraries are so much more than places that people just go to borrow a book, although that is an important core service. They are central to building communities and inspiring generations.
In the history of the public library system in Scotland, its immense expansion in the late 19th century was truly a remarkable social achievement. In 1885, only 5 per cent of Scots had access to a public library. That grew to almost universal provision by 1920. In the wake of the Education Act 1872, expanding primary education from five to 13 years drove demand for public libraries across Scotland. We saw that reflected in the growth of municipal socialism in cities such as Glasgow, with the private bill of 1898 to establish the city’s first public library system.
Perhaps it was, in a way, the first public-private partnership, because there were significant acts of philanthropy around that time as well. We heard earlier about the Dunfermline-born steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who, despite his chequered history in regards to workers’ rights, approved funding for 2,509 libraries across Britain and the United States in the early 20th century. To quote him:
“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people—it’s a never-failing spring in the desert.”
In 1901, Mr Carnegie wrote to Glasgow’s lord provost Samuel Chisholm, describing how he and his family had sailed from the Clyde bound for New York a half-century before and that he wished to donate money so that Glasgow could build new free libraries for Glaswegians. In that letter, he said:
“Glasgow has done so much in municipal affairs to educate other cities and to help herself ... that it is a privilege to help her.”
Although his sizeable donation of £100,000 set in motion Glasgow’s public library system, which saw the creation of 15 public libraries across the city, it was still a requirement for the corporation of the city to finance the operation of those libraries and, indeed, to fill them with books; there was a co-dependency there.
The libraries were also built with great municipal ambition in mind. Inverness architect James Rhind was successful in winning the competition to design seven of them; to this day, those libraries are magnificent exemplars of Edwardian baroque architecture. I am sure that the minister is familiar with the Dennistoun library, which was one of Rhind’s great achievements.
As I said, Carnegie said:
“a library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.”
We should be in agreement with him on that, at least, even if we do not necessarily agree with his model of capitalism.
Of course, the public library system in Glasgow culminated in the creation of what is probably the most famous library in Scotland: the Mitchell library, which, surmounted by its magnificent bronze dome and the figure of Minerva, the Roman god of wisdom above it, dominates the M8 that runs through the city. That figure is still the symbol of what the public library system in Scotland means today; it is about imparting wisdom to the people of this country.
Even as we hold vast amounts of information in the palms of our hands today, with smartphones and internet connection, our public libraries remain an essential public service that provide free access to technology, education and social connection. That is particularly true in an intergenerational sense, given that older people in particular can be socially and digitally excluded. We know from Age Scotland and others how important the provision of libraries is in that regard.
As we have heard about this evening, we also need to recognise the threat that libraries across Scotland face. Numerous libraries in Glasgow, including Maryhill, Whiteinch and the Couper institute, have faced closures as recently as 2021. Securing their future has been an on-going campaign.
I encourage the minister to consider how we can apply to public service modernisation a bit of entrepreneurialism in the spirit of our Victorian forebears, so that we can renew the public library system, secure the legacy of those great Victorian buildings, and use them for a new social purpose.
I am conscious of the number of speakers who still want to speak in the debate, so I am minded to accept a motion without notice under rule 8.14.3, to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I invite Mark Ruskell to move the motion without notice.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[Mark Ruskell]
Motion agreed to.
17:58
I thank my friend Mark Ruskell for securing this important debate, and I thank the groups and organisations who have sent us informative briefings. Most of all, however, I thank my constituents who have been in touch to share their experiences and insights, because this debate is about human stories: it is about how we live in community and how we share our lives in neighbourhoods.
That is fundamental for us as Greens, because libraries are sites of radical redistribution, experiments in shared sustainability, and models of resistance against capitalist appropriation and waste. Libraries are where community happens, where creativity flourishes, and where literature, art and philosophy resist the oppression of the right’s culture wars. Every day in our libraries, quiet revolutions happen—revolutions that will not be homogenised.
Perhaps it is unsurprising that they are under attack, but it is utterly unacceptable. I stand with all those, especially those across the north-east, who are fighting to reverse closures and resist those that are threatened—those acts of societal and cultural vandalism.
In Aberdeen, some of the most deprived communities are still bleeding from the loss of six local libraries two years ago. In Dundee, proposals are live for three to be merged into a hub—again, affecting those least privileged, with the fewest alternatives. Seven are threatened in Moray, and an incredible 13 in rural Aberdeenshire.
There are common features to all of those attacks. The first is a failure of transparency. My constituents do not know what is being considered until it is too late, future plans are being hidden and legal advice is kept secret.
The second is a failure of consultation—of genuine participation. People are making their views known, clearly and eloquently, but decision makers do not listen. It is not really consultation when people are simply told what is going to happen, or when it takes place only after closures have already happened.
The third feature is a failure of evidence-based decision making. Cases for closures are unclear at best, with paltry savings or inflated running costs identified, and sometimes no explanation is given at all. Libraries that are selected for closure are often both the most efficient in terms of the cost per hour that they are open, and the best used, with rising numbers of local people active in them, especially since Covid.
Most devastating of all is the complete failure to understand what libraries are, how they work, and why they are essential. The law’s vague promise of adequate provision is, ironically, inadequate. Even if we forget everything else that libraries do, and just talk about books, we can see how crucial that work is. In our child poverty crisis, parents and carers need that physical space where children can encounter and explore books, and where they can touch and play with them, hear and read them, and take them home. Click and collect and doorstep delivery cannot do that. Books are not DIY widgets or pints of milk; reading is not a transaction but an adventure, and we do not know where we are going until we get there.
What is true for children is true for adults, too, especially those who are alone or who are isolated, excluded or marginalised. We are in LGBT history month and in race equality week, which this year has the theme of every action counts. In libraries, every action really does count.
Library staff do fantastic work in curating collections around the themes that people really need. They give practical information, which is sometimes lifesaving, but they tell a true story, too. They say, “You are not alone, you are accepted and cherished and you are part of a community, here and beyond”.
When we lose our libraries, we lose paths that we might have trodden, adventures that we might have taken and hope that we might have shared. My constituents stand for that hope—they stand in resistance, and I stand with them.
18:02
I, too, thank Mark Ruskell for securing the debate, and I echo his thanks to librarians and volunteers.
Libraries deliver a range of benefits that make them key to Scottish Government priorities such as improving literacy, closing the attainment gap, tackling social isolation and closing the digital divide. The health and wellbeing offer from libraries alone is estimated to bring a cost saving to the national health service in Scotland of £3.2 million a year.
With sustained investment, libraries have the potential to deliver transformational outcomes for the people of Scotland. I do not think that anyone here would dispute those assertions—in fact, I think that we all agree on that. However, we are faced with a situation in which local authorities such as Perth and Kinross Council have been forced to pursue a path to close some rural libraries. I have been a councillor, so I understand the budgetary pressures that councils face with every budget cycle, but it does not have to be that way.
For the rest of my contribution, I will focus on one rural library in particular, because I took the time to visit Auchterarder library to see for myself how much of an impact the closure would have. For members who do not know, Auchterarder library is the epitome of a rural library. It is small and well stocked, and it provides the community with books, puzzles, toilet facilities, free wi-fi, free access to digital newspapers and e-books, printing services and seating. It holds events, book clubs and bookbug children’s reading groups, and people can even bring their dog. I think that we can agree that it is an excellent service.
On top of that, the library is 200m down the lane from the back of the primary school. The primary school is on the campus with the community school of Auchterarder, so it would be easily accessible for homework clubs and after-school support. That suggestion has been put to Perth and Kinross Council, but keeping the library open and providing an after-school solution for working parents seems a stretch too far.
At that visit, I had to queue to speak to the receptionist. There was a group sitting in the back area, which is often used for story time. I was stopped on a couple of occasions by people who were in the library and wanted to highlight how important it is to the local area and to raise their concerns with me. A gentleman was set up to work using the wi-fi. I was delighted to meet, by chance, one of the diligent campaigners, Shirley Williams, who has worked to present Perth and Kinross Council with a petition with more than 7,000 names, which calls for the cut to be stopped.
That inspiring group has highlighted that, in their opinion, the consultation process employed by Culture Perth and Kinross has been flawed and rushed. By the council’s own admission, the opening of Perth museum has been given priority, so everything is now being done at speed. That is particularly concerning to me, and I urge Culture Perth and Kinross to ensure that the consultation process has been handled properly.
The irony is not lost on me that the excellent Perth museum will host the final letter by Mary, Queen of Scots, which was written just a few hours prior to her death, to celebrate the centenary of the National Library of Scotland by the same Culture Perth and Kinross that is looking to close its rural libraries.
For me, the most important point is that the closure of rural libraries discriminates against children who live in rural areas, which goes against the terms of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UNCRC states that every child has equal rights, including to information and culture. The library is the only publicly funded culture outlet in Auchterarder. If that is taken away, the local children of that ever-growing town will be at a disadvantage, and that cannot be allowed to happen.
18:06
I thank Mark Ruskell for securing the debate, and I thank the campaigners and professionals whom I had the privilege to meet this afternoon, whose passion for our public libraries across Scotland was evident.
I could more than fill four minutes with my personal love of libraries, their atmosphere, the smell of them and the quiet sounds. I could list my favourite ones—the Mitchell library in Glasgow, the Shaw library at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the British Library by King’s Cross—but none of those comes close to Lochee library in Dundee, where I hold my surgeries and where my mother took my infant children for their Thursday morning reading group. The library was built among the mills where my family worked when they arrived from Ireland. For many people in Lochee, it served as a literal and metaphorical escape from those mills.
The fact that many of Dundee’s public libraries have survived is due partly to their being protected by the listed status of their buildings. That leads to the very difficult situation in which many of the libraries that are most at threat in Dundee are in the post-war housing schemes that line the city’s periphery, because they do not have listed status. Removing the library function from the listed buildings would leave them as burdens on the council, rather than assets. Many of the communities affected have been engaged in a long-term fight to hold on to their libraries. As colleagues have pointed out, there are real equality issues, given the pattern of poverty in my home city.
That brings me to Douglas community centre and library, in the east of the city, which is currently under threat. Proposals to close that facility have been put in front of the council in the current budget round. The local management group raised a petition, which attracted 794 signatures. This weekend, following a door-to-door campaign, the number of signatures collected passed 1,000. I congratulate all the campaigners who are fighting to protect that facility.
The community libraries in question are to be replaced by a library space in a new community campus miles away from Douglas. A council officer described her experience of seeing the plans for that library space; she told me that she wept when she saw them. The existing libraries are to be replaced by—literally—three shelves of books, not just for the children of the school but for the community at large.
As colleagues said at lunch time, that gives rise to a question about the concept of adequacy that sits within the legislation. Nobody thinks that what is proposed is an adequate replacement. The council is playing the game and the legislation in order to cut libraries and remove them from people. I support all the comments that members have made about the social purpose of our library system, what it can do for people and how important it is as a place of refuge, friendship, learning and advice. The libraries in my city are part of that, and we must protect them.
18:09
I congratulate Mark Ruskell on securing the debate. He and I spoke a few weeks ago at the rally to which he and Liz Smith referred, when more than 300 people stood in sub-zero temperatures in the centre of Perth in support of libraries. I pay tribute to the many campaigners there, and to others from other parts of Scotland, who have come to the cause to fight for their local libraries.
Like Liz Smith, I have received a huge volume of correspondence from constituents. In fact, I cannot think of an issue over the past few weeks that has generated more correspondence than that of library closures in Perth and Kinross. I pay tribute to the save Alyth library and save Birnam library campaigns for their helpful briefing for the debate.
We have heard a lot in the debate about the value of libraries. I will not repeat everything that we have heard, because I agree with pretty much everything that has been said. Libraries are not just sources of learning but important community assets—community spaces that host a variety of events. Let us not forget that, at a time when older people in particular are suffering from isolation, loneliness and increasing fuel costs, libraries are warm spaces where they and people who otherwise might be trapped at home alone can gather, meet and have human company. That should not be underestimated.
What is this all about? I must disagree gently with Karen Adam, because I do not think that the matter is down to the choices of individual local councils. In my area, the SNP run Perth and Kinross Council; in her area, Aberdeenshire Council has a Conservative administration. Tim Eagle, drawing on his experience as a local councillor in Moray, made the fair point that no councillor anywhere in Scotland wants to close a library. The fundamental issue comes back to the budget settlement that is given to local councils by the Scottish Government.
I will not rehearse all the arguments that I made yesterday in the budget debate, but we are in a situation in which, despite the Westminster block grant being at a record level, councils across Scotland are having to make very difficult decisions about cutting services such as local libraries and, at the same time, talking about unprecedented increases in council tax—10 per cent or more in different parts of Scotland. Clearly, something is not right, and I am afraid that it comes back to the door of the SNP Government.
I will respond to Mr McKee’s intervention on Tim Eagle about money. I read today that the cost of the new Barlinnie prison in Glasgow has now gone up to £1 billion—a tenfold increase on the original estimate. If the Scottish Government perhaps looked a little more carefully at where it is spending its money, we would find a little extra money for local councils to support their libraries.
I do not think that Perth and Kinross Council can hide behind a group such as Culture Perth and Kinross, which is an arm’s-length external organisation that is wholly funded by that council. Councillors must take responsibility and ensure that there is adequate funding to support libraries. I hope that the SNP-led administration on Perth and Kinross Council will listen to the campaigners and take the right decisions to ensure that funding is provided.
Fundamentally, the issue comes back to the door of the Scottish Government. It has to step up and ensure that councils have the support so that we do not lose those vital local resources, which we all agree must remain.
18:13
I thank Mark Ruskell for securing this members’ business debate on the important issue of public libraries. There have been some very interesting contributions and personal reflections on the use that members have made, and continue to make, of libraries across the country.
My colleague Angus Robertson, who is the culture cabinet secretary, and I are avid supporters of our public libraries and commend the tireless work of our librarians across the country in keeping those services thriving. The Scottish Government as a whole deeply values our public libraries and firmly believes that everyone should have access to those services. Libraries provide a wide array of essential services and consistently demonstrate their crucial role in our communities, thanks to the dedication and passion of all those who work in the library sector. We are truly grateful for their efforts in helping public libraries evolve and maintaining those vital services.
That commitment was showcased in the tremendous response from libraries during the pandemic, when they were among the only cultural venues open in Scottish communities, offering lifeline services. We are pleased to see in communities across Scotland such passion for and dedication to for our library services, and we understand how valuable the opportunities that are provided via libraries are for people from all walks of life and of all ages.
Libraries offer a free and inclusive space for people. They provide a wide range of benefits, offering essential access to learning materials and resources that might otherwise be out of reach. They are key to providing access to information technology, bridging the digital divide, closing the attainment gap, enhancing educational outcomes, supporting children and young people in early years, engaging our older citizens, and empowering our communities. They play a fundamental role in building strong, resilient communities and allowing people to come together to learn, connect, engage and create. I would also note that, like Christine Grahame, I will be holding my constituency surgery in a library—Riddrie library—this Friday.
According to 2023 Scottish household survey data, libraries, including mobile and online libraries, were the most frequently visited cultural events or places across the country, with 16 per cent of adults visiting a library at least once a week, and more than a third visiting at least once a month.
As members will know, library policy is devolved to our local authorities, which have a statutory duty to ensure adequate provision of library services to their residents. In response to Mark Ruskell, I make a commitment that the Government will engage with our local network on the definition of “adequate provision”.
In Dundee, various library facilities are being closed, with three shelves of books proposed as a replacement. Does the minister agree that that is not in any way an “adequate” replacement for those facilities, in terms of the legislative framework that he pointed to?
I am not familiar with the specifics of the library situation in Dundee that Michael Marra has talked about, but on the surface of it, it sounds as if that is pushing the definition rather far. I am sure that my colleague Angus Robertson, who leads for the Government on this matter, will be happy to pick up that specific point with the member.
Will the minister give way?
I am a bit concerned about time.
I can give you the time back, minister.
I welcome the minister’s answer to my question, which I will now follow up with another question. When will the Government review the “adequate provision” definition?
As I have said, I am speaking for Angus Robertson this evening, and I am sure that he will be happy to engage with Mark Ruskell on the specifics of that. The Government is happy to take forward an engagement process on the definition.
On the issue of funding, which has occupied much of the debate this evening, the Scottish Government has provided block grant funding of more than £14 billion to local authorities this financial year—that is, 2024-25—which is a real-terms increase of 2.5 per cent. Assuming that our budget passes later this month, authorities will, in financial year 2025-26, receive record funding of £15 billion, a further real-terms increase of 4.7 per cent.
I should say that, when members talk about being in favour of a small state, they should recognise that libraries are very much part of the state and that those are the kinds of services that come under threat when they argue for that kind of economic and social policy. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities; when it comes to meeting their statutory obligations, it is, of course, up to each local authority how it manages its decision-making process. and it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their communities. We urge local authorities to consider any decision on public libraries extremely carefully, and we encourage our colleagues at local level to work in partnership with communities to explore ways of delivering those services, based on local needs.
For our part, we will continue to work with local government to ensure that the people of Scotland continue to receive the high-quality public services that they expect and deserve. I have listened with interest to some of the imaginative suggestions from Paul Sweeney and others, and I am sure that my colleague Angus Robertson will be interested in taking them up.
Will the minister take an intervention?
I am very short of time now, but I will if it is a very quick one.
Please be brief.
I meant to pop this in earlier, but I think that the minister will probably want to take this opportunity to compliment the mobile libraries across Scotland, which go to even remoter parts of my constituency and the Highlands and Islands.
Indeed I will.
As has been mentioned, the Scottish Government supports our libraries through our funding to the Scottish Library and Information Council, which provides leadership and advice to Scottish ministers, local authorities and the wider library sector. We support the council with annual funding of £665,000, including £450,000 for the public library improvement fund. That is on top of the Scottish Government’s general revenue funding to local authorities. In 2024-25, 13 individual projects across the country were awarded PLIF funding. A further £270,000 has been allocated to SLIC in the 2025-26 budget, subject to its passing later this month, to allow it to expand its important work.
I should add that our culture strategy for Scotland, and its action plan, set out actions that are designed to meet the needs of communities, and cultural outcomes from libraries at a local level are at the forefront of that.
I again thank Mark Ruskell for lodging the motion and allowing us to have this debate, and I am pleased to have had the opportunity to respond on the vital role of our public libraries and to advocate for their unique place at the centre of our communities. It is of critical importance that local authorities think carefully about the future of those services. Finally, I am proud that the Scottish Government continues to invest in and support our public libraries to provide a service fit for the future.
Thank you, minister. I also thank colleagues for their co-operation in allowing us to get in so many speakers in the time available.
Meeting closed at 18:21.Air ais
Decision Time