Prior to 2017, the Bromley libraries were directly administered by the local council.
In 2015, it was announced that due to council budget cuts, plans were under consideration to transition several of the libraries from a council-staffed to a volunteer-run model.[3] The affected "smaller" libraries consisted Burnt Ash, Hayes, Mottingham, Shortlands, Southborough and St Paul's Cray under these plans. The larger libraries and core services were also being considered for outsourcing. These privatization plans triggered criticism and strike action from current Bromley libraries staff in 2016.[4]
In July 2017, Bromley council announced that Greenwich Leisure Ltd. had been awarded a ten-year contract to operate the libraries service in cooperation with the council, and would take control of all library services as opposed to the split model proposed in the 2015 plans.[5] This handover came into effect in November 2017, and also resulted in the departure of Bromley's libraries from the London Libraries Consortium,[6] ending cross-borrowing with other London boroughs in the LLC.
Following the handover to Greenwich Leisure Ltd., a dispute with former council staff over pay resulted in strike action from the union Unite, amid broader criticism of the council's privatization policies.[7] The strike action began on March 28 of 2018, and involved 36 workers, ending in April after three weeks when a new agreement was reached between staff and Greenwich Leisure Ltd.[8] A further staff strike in March 2024 gained workers an increase in sick pay but the union remained in dispute over pay as well as conditions for zero hour workers.[9]
