« E books in public libraries | Main | Issues of E books »
September 27, 2010
Lewisham
Lewisham council proposed several weeks ago to close 5 of their 12 libraries. At the time they gave little information about the financial reasons why they needed to do this, nor did they explain how they intend thence to provide a public library service according to the statutory obligations upon them.
Since that time the local people have asked for detailed answers to both those points and many others and have received nothing that would persuade a rational councillor or member of the public that such answers exist.
The local people have also written to the Secretary of State asking for him to call for an inquiry and to fulfill his legal duties and responsibilities.
All of us who believe in and call for improvements to public libraries, rather than their destruction by stealth should call upon the councillors of Lewisham to withdraw the plan for closures and to use the available resources they havre to seek to make the libraries better than they are now instead of worse
Thus I call upon the Minister, the DCMS, the DCLG, the ACL, the Mayor of London, the board of the LLCP, the London Cultural Improvement programme, the LGA, the MLA, CILIP, the SCL, IdeA, London MP's, Parliament, the local political parties and unions and all other bodies, to ask the Mayor of Lewisham to propose a new plan in place of that which his council has recently published.
Posted by Perkins at September 27, 2010 11:20 AM
Comments
Suffolk County Council have announced they plan to outsource up to 90% of their services as part of meeting the deficit cuts, including libraries which would be in the first tranche. Why aren't they (and every other local authority) being reminded of the statutory duty they have to provide library services?
Posted by: Fi at October 1, 2010 11:23 AM