Dear Editor
As many people will know, I continue to
suffer with long Covid after having been infected with Covid 19 twice in 2021.
I became very ill at the end of last year and correspondence during my illness
at this time may have been missed. It may have been more helpful (and kinder)
if Mr Rushe had chosen to enquire about the status of his response with me upon
my phased return to work rather than deciding on this course of action, which
could run the risk of being perceived as a partisan move so close to the local
elections.
The allegations and tone of Mr Rushe’s letter attempt to undermine and erase
the significant personal and professional investment I put in to listening to
library campaigners and working with them to find a way for the libraries to
stay open- efforts which could be verified by those involved with the campaigns
at the time. I have always acted with integrity and heartfelt solidarity in my
dealings with each of the community library campaigns in Brent.
I stood against the then cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, Cllr
James Powney, in an internal election precisely because I believed that the
council needed to change its direction and take a more collaborative approach
to working with communities impacted by the library closures. Upon my election
as cabinet member I met with all library campaign groups face to face and
worked tirelessly alongside them to secure the conditions for successful
volunteer-led community libraries. I will not take credit for the fantastic and
exhausting work so many inspiring community activists have undertaken to
establish community libraries but I believe most of the library campaigns would
agree that my taking over as cabinet member at the time changed the tone
between campaigners and the council and that I played a not insignificant role
in the journeys of the community libraries. I was also responsible for
initiating the Councils’ first ever Community Asset Transfer strategy to ensure
local residents could have much more democratic choice and ownership over the
fate of public buildings.
I am sorry that Mr Rushe (who I understand does not represent the Preston
Community Library group or speak on their behalf) is frustrated by the actions
of the council but it is unreasonable to attempt to lay blame personally at my
door for these frustrations.
I am not able to comment on discussions between the cabinet and library
campaigners since I resigned from the cabinet, and have not been privy to all
communication and discussions between both parties. I am also not able to
comment on what circumstances and events may or may not have legitimately
changed or come to light since my own discussions with the Preston Library
campaign all those years ago.
What I do know is that the Preston Community Library group will be moving into
their brand new library premises in April 2023 and are currently in discussions
with the Council on the layout and fittings of the building. Brent Council has
also provided a temporary home to the community library free of charge at
Ashley Gardens. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and
personally thank the Preston Community Library Campaign for coming so far and
for successfully securing a space for the community library in the face of
savage local authority cuts from central government, which ultimately have been
the root cause of library closures right across the UK.
I hope this assists in providing a more accurate record and context of my
personal involvement with the library campaigns in Brent and I look forward to
the new community library opening early next year.
Cllr Roxanne Mashari
