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December 3, 2006
Stitched up
Campaigners in Devon are cross about the proposals made by their county council
This is the same story as in Buckinghamshire. The council want the residents to run part of the library service, but they aren't offering any of the money back that they take from residents. Residents pay twice over- and are faced with the responsibilities of running the library, which is a difficult thing to do. The law in this country says that the local council is responsible.
There's no harm in involving local people at all- it's the best way- but the responsibility for providing the service they want has to remain with the council and they be certain they provide what the local people need. That's what they are paid for and obliged to do.
Posted by Tim Coates at December 3, 2006 5:31 PM
Comments
The "stitching-up" over the library issue is not surprising. The story behind the Buckinghamshire library closures has created a precedent.
Part of the gospel according to the MLA regarding putting the public into public libraries involves the removal of books to make way for the buildings to be used as community centres.
At the same time the community centres which have provided educational provision and internet access are being closed down (as an "unrelated issue").
This is merely cost-cutting from a government obsessed with spin and the manipulation of statistics.
I wish someone like Donald MacIntyre would do a program on the use of the internet in public libraries. Young library users know that the content filters are limited to English and so search for online porn using non-English keywords. There are also no blocks on the use of online gambling sites.
I suppose it is what one would expect from the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport which seems to advocate nothing more than a gloomy, boring high-tech Dark Age full of reality TV, game shows, premium rate phone lines and super-casinos.
Posted by: Lloyd Cole at December 4, 2006 7:38 PM