Local authorities are under pressure to deliver more with fewer resources, which is making better use of existing services essential.
Libraries as a statutory and trusted service
Libraries are statutory services for local authorities, providing free access to books, reading and information, supported by professionally delivered programmes and used every day by residents of all ages and backgrounds. They already deliver against a wide range of council priorities but are not always used to their full potential.
Rather than building new services around specific priorities, libraries offer an established route into communities that can support outcomes across areas such as digital inclusion, skills, health and wellbeing, economic growth and community connection.
Delivering at scale through GLL
GLL is the UK's largest charitable social enterprise delivering public libraries and leisure services, managing 124 public and prison libraries alongside more than 250 leisure centres in partnership with local authorities. Experience across both leisure and libraries extends how services are used, particularly in areas such as health, wellbeing and community support.
GLL libraries are among the highest performing in London, with Bromley recording the highest number of items issued and Greenwich now one of the most visited services, having moved from 28th to 5th in London for items issued.
Across the network, there are more than six million visits to libraries each year, more than eight-and-a-half million items borrowed annually, more than £100m in social value generated and 97% user satisfaction rated good or excellent. Public computer usage and digital access across GLL libraries remain among the highest in their respective regions, reflecting continued demand for core services. In Lincolnshire, libraries issue more than two million items annually.
These examples reflect how library services are delivered through partnerships between GLL and local authorities.
Libraries as delivery infrastructure
Reach, frequency of use and public trust provide a practical platform for delivery, with library services already operating as delivery infrastructure across a range of council priorities. This is where libraries move beyond a traditional service role and become part of how councils deliver.
In Wandsworth, the Libraries First strategy places libraries at the centre of local delivery.
Investment and transformation in practice
In Bromley, more than £11m of council investment, delivered in partnership with GLL, has transformed library spaces across the borough, with changes to layout and use making them more flexible and more visible within their communities. Refurbishments have also expanded access to digital and creative facilities, supporting a broader range of uses.
At West Wickham Library, visits have increased from around 4,000 to more than 14,000 a month following refurbishment. This reflects how changes to space and use can drive engagement when aligned with how people use services.
Supporting health and wellbeing
Libraries are used to support health and wellbeing in settings that are familiar and easy to access. At Mottingham Library in Bromley, a £98,280 investment from the Libraries Improvement Fund through Arts Council England has created a more inclusive space, including the UK's first in-library Cubbie, a dedicated sensory environment for children and young people with additional needs. Alongside this, improved digital and creative facilities are widening access and supporting different types of use.
In Greenwich, libraries support residents with long-term conditions through GLL's Healthwise programme, with Health Zones allowing people to check blood pressure and BMI as part of their normal use of the service, supporting a more preventative approach to health. In Plumstead, £121,755 has been awarded to create a dedicated health space, combining leisure and library services to provide more integrated support.
Strengthening local community hubs
In Dudley, £144,715 from the Libraries Improvement Fund has supported the refurbishment of Lye Library through partnership working with GLL, improving access to technology and creating more flexible space for community use.
The library has been re-established as a well-used local asset, with Dudley now the highest performing library service in the Black Country.
Supporting economic growth and enterprise
Libraries support local economic growth by providing accessible entry points for enterprise and business support. Through GLL's Start Up programmes, delivered in library spaces, more than 1,800 entrepreneurs and small businesses have been supported as part of the British Library Business and IP Centre network. Library-based business support reaches a diverse audience, including a high proportion of women and users from minority ethnic backgrounds. GLL's Accelerator Programme further supports social enterprises and community businesses to grow and sustain their impact.
In Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire CC secured funding to introduce Business Bubbles in libraries, providing dedicated space for enterprise support, with GLL supporting delivery alongside its Start Up Business programme.
Supporting literacy and cultural development
Libraries support literacy and cultural development through programmes that build confidence and engagement with reading and writing.
The GLL Literary Foundation supports emerging authors and connects them with local audiences through events, schools and community activity, supporting 20 authors and reaching more than 3,000 children in its first phase, with a further 42 authors to be supported in year two.
A strategic opportunity for local authorities
Libraries already deliver against a wide range of council priorities through a single, trusted service with established reach and regular use across communities, and the opportunity is to use them more deliberately as part of how councils deliver.
Libraries are not an added extra. They are already doing the work.
Rebecca Gediking is Library Services Director at GLL
Visit www.gll.org to find out more about these and other services from GLL
