What's
Going On
Libraries
in Lewisham face a cut of almost half a million pounds to their
annual budget starting in the new financial year beginning this
April. Protest in 2018 led to council’s own committees rejecting
the whole range of proposed plans for how the cut could be
structured. We believe any cut to the service would disproportionately
affect vulnerable people and protected groups. This affect was
acknowledged as inherent in every option of the cut put forward, and its the reason why all options were referenced back by council's committee. Council then declared
the cut ‘on hold’ which is misleading as it remains on the same
schedule as always in their financial plan. Council said they were
waiting to share their plans until a feasibility study into
construction work at Lewisham Library was sufficiently advanced or
finished.
The
timing means that public consultation can only be a mere
afterthought: consider that pressure is on to see savings starting in
this same April; clearly this approach leaves contributions by
stakeholders too late. To quote a recent answer to a
public question submitted to council by the campaign, too late
actually, for library users, staff and unions to feasibly have any
impact on the formative ‘high level’ stages of the plan.That applies especially to potentially outright rejecting the plan, as it would mean renegotiating the
budget in other areas and there would not be adequate time. It will only remain for us to have a say that
might tweak the ‘detail’.
As
a result the campaign has concerns that this feasibility study will have no effect on the plans for implementing the proposed cuts.
Will it be a convenient example they can point to and claim they have
done due diligence on this front as they put through cuts? In
reality, if the council begin implementing the cuts and
redundancies this year before consultation has been done, they could
face a judicial review. Consultation becomes unreal if the result is actually foregone conclusion. We remain worried they could try to make redundancies in September. We hope staff are treated with respect and kept fully informed, not kept in the dark about their future.
What's
the History?
Lewisham
Libraries Service has been cut drastically over the last decade, and
the promised improvement to the service of the community library
scheme that puts volunteers in place of staff managed by various
unaccountable organisations has been a predictable disaster: Recently
a new IT system was put in place and several community libraries
couldn’t lend, return or renew books. While some services in the UK
thrive, with increased borrowing and use, Lewisham languishes with a
huge fall in borrowing, due to reduced opening hours, poor stock,
privatisation by the back door and de-skilling as so many librarians
and assistants were made redundant including union activists.
Demands
- What is it our campaign must win?
To
Save Lewisham Libraries we’ll use every avenue we can, from public
appeals, protests and press releases to private correspondence
lobbying. More suggested actions and plans you can get involved with
to follow.
TRANSPARENCY
– Expose the decision-making for services reliant on public
funds.
We
demand the public release of the brief given to internal consultants
of the feasibility study, and for consultation with the public to be
launched immediately. What goals must the plan meet to be defined
feasible?
Additionally
we demand immediate public scrutiny of the plans for how to cut
the service beside the feasibility study.
We
demand regular meetings with the councillors responsible for the
service.
We
demand an audit of the community libraries, which aren't being held
accountable on the standard service delivery the scheme guaranteed,
council pledged meant to take back in house services that fail in the
hands of community organisation, and has been turning a blind eye,
particularly at Crofton Park. We shouldn't have to make these
demands, we should be able to expect this diligence.
ACCOUNTABILITY
- Hold to account all the authorities over Lewisham irresponsibly
de-skilling, casualising and degrading the Library service.
We
shall expose how not just Tory cuts to local authorities but the
council's decisions on how to deploy that shrinking budget have been
made on poor values and not the values of solidarity and socialism
they were elected on.
This
is in order to make the case for a more realistic
approach: Resistance has always been and is increasingly the only
responsible direction. We can see where acquiescence gets us. We’ll
analyse what’s been done and look at councils that prove bolder
approaches pay dividends, and raise awareness of what can technically
and politically be done now.
ANTI-AUSTERITY
AGENDA - Stop further damage and raise awareness of the need for
the service to return to form. Right now we are at breaking point,
and council is still pursuing David Cameron's Localism and Big
Society idea, which was always an excuse for making crucial services
precarious. Council must start enacting alternative strategies like
the Preston Model for fair local procurement and municipal socialism.
We
must raise the public consciousness of how vital a professional
statutory library service is, how we can’t afford to see it run
down, remembering what is being lost, what qualities a good service
delivers and what underpins that.
National
government, needless to say, needs to bring local authority funding
back to normal, back to the levels pre 2008 crash, with immediate
effect, and thereupon all libraries should be taken back in house and
a mobile library services set up again, along with serious investment
in the collection online and off, suspension of fines, and ensuring
all libraries have a quiet reading area.
How
to take action for this
Join
our next stall flyering to raise awareness midday Saturday the 18th
May 2019 outside the Deptford Lounge Library, Deptford High Street.
Join
our next meeting
Monday,
15 April 2019 from 19:15-21:00 and the venue is still to be
announced:
Then
use your own email application to contact: Councillor responsible for
Lewisham libraries, the Lewisham Mayor and the Chair of Safer
Stronger Communities Select Committee, and UK Government minister
with responsibilities for Libraries:
cllr_jonathan.slater@lewisham.gov.uk,
damien.egan@lewisham.gov.uk, cllr_Juliet.Campbell@lewisham.gov.uk,
michael.ellis.mp@parliament.uk
Raise
it at your next local
assembly,
of local public engagement with representatives!
in
your trade union and local branch of your political party, if you're
in one.
In
your own time distribute copies of our latest flyer: (which we'll
link here when its ready)
Get
in the know the better to argue, by checking out the links on our
resources
page
