Local Inquiry System for Public Library Administration in UK : A Case of Local Inquiry in Wirral

Abstract

In 2009, a local inquiry into Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council was conducted by the UK government on the basis of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. The purpose of this study is to examine the inquiry process and clarify the value and problems of this institution. The result of the study revealed that, as a consequence of the inquiry, Wirral MBC withdrew its decision over the closure of libraries, and it can be said that the central government effectively handled the emergency in Wirral by utilizing the institution of the local inquiry. Moreover, the inquiry was found to have the following shortcomings: first, the institution was not stable enough to transcend politics; second, citizens did not have other alternatives but to lobby the Secretary of the State for notifying about the breach of the law, which possibly placed enormous burden on them in terms of time, effort and financial cost; third, the appropriateness of the inquiry depended majorly on the inspector's capability; fourth, the effectiveness of correction of the breach of the law cannot be sustained unless the central government State monitors the performance of the authorities on a regular basis.