CHINGFORD: Campaigners hit the streets to 'save' library service (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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CHINGFORD: Campaigners hit the streets to 'save' library service
1:17pm Saturday 23rd July 2011 in News By Daniel Binns
CHINGFORD: Campaigners hit the streets to 'save' library service
CAMPAIGNERS who are fighting to keep a library service in South Chingford collected more than 500 signatures on a petition this morning.
Conservative opposition councillors in the area are trying to drum up support for their idea of opening a community-run library staffed by volunteers.
As well as the petition supporting the plan, around 40 residents also agreed to offer their services at the proposed new library, and organisers hope they can gain many more in the coming weeks.
It comes after the council proposed closing its South Chingford Library branch to save money.
The Tory group has proposed that the council hand over its Waltham Forest Direct (WFD) advice centre shop in south Chingford, which is shortly due to close, as a replacement for the library.
Cllr Jemma Hemsted, one of the organisers who collected signatures on the petition today, said: "It's been a very successful morning. It shows the strength of feeling and not one person we met said they supported the council's plan to close the library.
"We got a lot of signatures but it was also important to go out into the streets because there are still lots of people who don't know that the library is going to close.
"The main objective of our campaign is to get a volunteer base for a new library service.
"We don't believe that the council will change its mind on closing the current library but we want to be able to show it does have other options and there are alternatives that can work.
"We can still have a library service in South Chingford."
The council argues that a shake-up of libraries, including opening some larger branches for longer, will improve the service overall and improve its appeal to a broader spectrum of residents.
A 12-week public consultation on the plans began last month. A final decision is expected in October.
Waltham Forest’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Culture, Cllr Geraldine Reardon, insisted in a previous statement that a final decision had still not been made.
She said: “The consultation process isn’t just about asking residents for their views on our proposals - we also want to hear any alternative plans or ideas they might have.
"These will be taken onboard and evaluated as part of the formal consultation exercise.
“If residents or councillors would like more information as to the running costs of the building to help inform their proposals then we will be more than happy to provide them with all the necessary information.”
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Comments(3)
ConcernedResident
says...
1:16pm Mon 25 Jul 11
I personally never used Walton House when it was a residential home for the elderly. However, I protested when the Labour-run council shut it down !
Not everyone just thinks about themselves
mdj
says...
12:17am Wed 27 Jul 11
I wish he did so a bit more; the supine opposition in this Borough has always been a bit of a mystery, leaving small groups of local residents to kick at what are often open goals while the official opposition draw their allowances and say nothing.
Sam can complain about the Coalition - ie the legally-elected government- as much as he likes: in a post a few weeks ago I was able to identify £40 million this Labour-led council has lost, wasted, given away, failed to collect or simply stolen over the last few years. Better-informed people than me could probably double that figure, with chapter and verse. Sam chose to make no reply. Central government has presumably noticed this, not just here, and realised that our current local government structure is broken as a system for delivering services and handling large amounts of money. This shouldn't be a party issue, but unfortunately one party has chosen to identify itself as the champion of pointless expenditure, with inevitable results which are harming all of us, and the poorest the most. As a result, many people who believe that high collective expenditure is essential to deliver a fair society are disgusted by the party which preaches public spending as a good in itself, regardless of efficiency, competence or legality.
Sam Hain says...
10:20pm Sat 23 Jul 11