Library closures decison 'must be postponed' (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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Library closures decison 'must be postponed'
2:59pm Thursday 29th September 2011 in Waltham Forest News By Ima Jackson-Obot
South Chingford Library
A DECISION on whether to close two libraries in deprived areas must be postponed, according to campaigners.
Cabinet is due to rubberstamp a shake-up of the library service on October 11, which would see facilities in south Chingford and Harrow Green in Leytonstone shut down to save £1 million.
But a group of councillors recently concluded that information provided to justify the closures was flawed.
And campaigners in Leytonstone have gathered more than 4,000 signatures on a petition calling for Harrow Green to be saved, which automatically triggers a full council debate on the issue.
Alternative plans are being drawn up to make efficiency savings while keeping all libraries open.
Cllr Jemma Hemsted, who has been working to keep a library service in south Chingford and also sits on the panel which criticised the process, said the decision should be delayed ‘in the interests of democracy’.
“The issues are obviously causing quite a lot of heartache. People are very worried,” she said.
“The whole idea of a consultation is to take into account people's opinion.”
Ros Kane, who has campaigning to save Harrow Green, said: “Our petition should force the council to meet and debate on the issue, unless they would be going against their word.
“I cannot see how the council can accept the closures with this weight of strong opinion. It doesn't make sense to a lot of people.”
A scrutiny panel recently reported that cabinet was given insufficient information on visitor numbers and alternative proposals when it agreed to the closures.
The changes will also see opening hours extended and more services provided at other libraries.
The Guardian is awaiting a statement from the council.
NEGOTIATIONS over the sale of former council offices have entered the final stages.
The Guardian understands the local authority has received dozens of offers from property developers for the site in The Ridgeway, Chingford, which recently went on the market.
But the council has declined to reveal which company it is set to do a deal with, describing the information as 'commercially sensitive'.
An announcement is due to made on October 6.
The Ridgeway building closed in 2007 and the council was criticised by unions and Conservatives for renting office space elsewhere.
Local Tories also raised fears the sale was another example of the council abandoning the area, following the closure of the public toilets, the Waltham Forest Direct shop and the proposed closure of south Chingford Library.
But the authority has reviewed the future of all its properties as it strives to save £65 million following a cut in government funding.
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Comments(2)
mdj
says...
6:18pm Fri 30 Sep 11
At least one petition has raised the necessary 4000 signatures to mandate a full Council debate on these closures, which may well be in breach of the Libraries and Museums Act anyway. If the statement above becomes true, it will be another illustration of the Council's contempt, not only for the residents of this Borough, but for the law as well.
'I wonder how much consultants have been paid to come up with these flawed calculations?'
Not necessarily outside consultants: it needs to be remembered that the highly-paid Libraries Manager, who helped initiate the crisis at the William Morris Gallery in 2007 when managing the museums only, has no qualifications for the latter role, and has no record of defending the service they are paid to protect and enhance.
The record of cultural cuts in this Borough long predate any funding cuts from central government they can plausibly be blamed on and, but for the tens of millions lost, wasted and possibly stolen over the last few years, few cuts would have been necessary at all.
Oliver_Highams_Park says...
4:55pm Thu 29 Sep 11
Yes, campaigners in Highams Park realised the figures were flawed months ago. If cuts are to be made, they need to be made equitably, based on library usage figures. Currently they use a flawed methodology. I wonder how much consultants have been paid to come up with these flawed calculations?