But What Would Jobseekers Want With A Book?

Councillors in Surrey will doubtless be scratching their heads today after the high court ruled that their attempt to staff ten libraries entirely with volunteers was unlawful on equality grounds. The court ruled that the council failed to comply with its duties towards the more vulnerable members of society, rather as Gloucestershire and Somerset councils did last year. Presumably there was some difficulty in conceiving of disabled people who are healthy enough to visit libraries yet not healthy enough to be at work during opening hours. Be that as it may, an equality assessment was not put before the council when it made the decision; and since Surrey is a Conservative council, it seems nobody bothered to ask. The council plans to remove all paid staff from the ten libraries, as part of what Britain's leading liberal newspaper describes as "a move aimed at keeping its 52 libraries open"; much as sacking twenty per cent of nurses and relying on unpaid carers instead could be described as a move aimed at maintaining public health.