HC Deb 13 September 2004 vol 424 c1458W
Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the CSV Lending Time project to develop volunteer involvement in the library services of six local authorities; [187834]

(2) what assessment she has made of how the lessons learned from the CSV Lending Time pilot projects can be transferred to and adopted by other local authorities; [187835]

(3) whether she has requested reports on the CSV Lending Time pilot schemes from the local authorities involved; [187836]

(4) what plans she has to ensure long-term support for the CSV Lending Time pilot projects. [187837]

Estelle Morris

The Lending Time project was evaluated by Shared Intelligence who published a final report in June 2004. This report outlines lessons learned from the project and provides a series of key recommendations to develop volunteer involvement with public libraries. All of the pilot projects had an opportunity to contribute to the evaluation so separate reports from each local authority were not requested. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) will use the lessons learned from this project in the development of a new work programme to establish how libraries can most effectively support civic renewal and engage with communities in shaping and delivering services that meet local needs. Community Service Volunteers who led the Lending Time project will appoint someone to a post, funded by MLA through Framework for the Future, the Government's strategy to improve public libraries, to take this work forward until March 2006.

The aim of the project was to explore the ways in which volunteering could be involved in libraries' work in a long-term and sustainable manner to enhance the service using existing financial resources. The pilots have now been completed and there is no further central funding for them. It is for the local authorities involved in the project to decide whether or not to continue funding.