Crucial Libraries Appeal hearing Thursday - Try and Get Along

The Brent Libraries appeal hearing will begin tomorrow in the Court of Appeal at 10.30 am in Court 63, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London. Please try and come along for the hearing: the physical presence of those who case about cases like this makes a real difference.

The hearing will last 1 ½ days, possibly extending a little into Friday afternoon. The Appellants’  new QC, Dinah Rose, will open and close the case with the Council’s QC making her own submissions half way through. Dinah will argue the Council:

• did not appreciate the likely impact of its plans to close libraries on particular groups in the community, such as Asian people, and without understanding this impact properly could not make a lawful decision compatible with its Equality Act 2010 duties to eliminate discrimination;

•  did not assess need for local library services, especially that of children; and

• was unfair to community groups who put forward proposals to save the threatened libraries.

The legal team cannot be sure when the judgement will be forthcoming but it is likely to be speedy as the Court appreciates the importance of the case.