We say NO to MORE cuts being made to Lewisham Library Services, but we need your help, followers of this page. Come to our next meeting on Monday 15th October to hear about what's going on in our libraries, and see how you can help. If you can't make it, spread the word!
You have the power to save libraries and make way for a fully restored and comprehensive service!
The Council are threatening again to make a huge £450,000 cut to what's left of the service in Lewisham, still a lifeline to so many people. Opening hours will be either cut to the bone or only Lewisham Library left staffed with Downham and Deptford left without a genuine library service, just self-service machines and disordered books. We love (appropriately) our librarians and library workers!
Read more about the council's proposals here: https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/libraries/Pages/Library-changes.aspx
and pages 45-48 of Lewisham Council Minutes here: http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/documents/s59736/Appendix%202%20Community%20Services%20Profomas.pdf
The despicable Tory government is strangling council budgets, violating our rights, and we should take our struggle all the way there. But it's no excuse for mismanagement and obedience from our local council. It has left us with a fragmented array of enterprises managing what were proper libraries, reliant on volunteers, unequally available across the borough, reduced hours and creeping commercialisation, a fundamentally broken service with some of the staff hired via agencies (more expensive than directly hired council staff as the agency takes a cut), and vanity projects getting big investment, while valuable librarians rooted in the community are made redundant.
This has put a dampener on opportunities, imagination and aspiration in the borough, and left our vulnerable people in the lurch.
"Walking into a library is often the first step a person takes out of social exclusion, unemployment & poverty." writes Darren McGarvey in Chapter 22 of the award winning new book Poverty Safari.
Being a Councillor is not just a job, it's not just administration – it's leadership. Lewisham people are ready to resist; they indicated that much in the last council election turning Lewisham pure red. We hope council will do the right thing, even if it's difficult, and step forward into solidarity and resistance with people and find ways to do to run the library service more effectively to maintain this essential service.
Council intend to 'consult' in January but Councillors are to decide whether to cut the library budget in December, leaving us with the terrible option of choosing between no staff in some libraries or drastically reduced hours in all. Some consultation!
Get yourself down to the meeting:
6.30pm Monday 15th October.
Catford Constitutional Club, down the alley off Catford Broadway, SE6 4SP.
We will meet in the side room, downstairs on the right.
