Brent library campaigns alive & kicking for National Libraries Day tomorrow

National Libraries Day tomorrow will see indefatigable campaigners marking the day and continuing their fight.

The Save Kensal Rise Library website  LINK announces:

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

Barham Library campaigners are holding this event:

 

 

 and Preston Library campaigners this one:

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.ljWZEzpu.dpuf

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.ljWZEzpu.dpuf

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.ljWZEzpu.dpuf

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.2g8VvgEh.dpuf

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.2g8VvgEh.dpuf

Library Campaign moves into top gear - more than half cash target met

A message from Brent SOS Libraries:

With another six  members joining our six month old Save Cricklewood Library Campaign last night and a visit from the Tokyngton Library campaign (who have submitted a 670 signature petition to Brent Council this week) I cannot remember a bigger  or more active Brent campaign in my 30+ years of living in this fantastic  diverse borough. Can anyone else? We are swamped with fundraising events, volunteers, supportive authors and have six very lively local campaigns underway .

We are now close to the legal hearing, which the Council is insisting is heard in July. This is our final push to raise money - together we are over half way to our £30,000 target .Many thanks to all those who have helped and attended recent events,donated books etc.

Can you help with one more push ?

1 Selling Garden Party Tickets - meet  at Cricklewood Library -MONDAY 27 June at 6.30pm

Join Anna, Edward and other supporters in a final push to sell Garden Party tickets door-to -door - at £5 it is a bargain and we only have 72 tickets left

2 Garden Party   Sunday 3 July   121 Anson Road  3-5pm

Tea, cakes and a beautiful garden - what more could you want ?

Come and meet Helen and the Save Cricklewood team - a must for your social calendar

3 Wear your T shirt with pride

Brent SOS Libraries T-shirts will be available from 30 June - just ring or text me on 07866616492 and I will deliver .Beautifully designed in tasteful red and white - certain to be this years fashion item.Only £10 each .

How many do you want? (only large available - but good for snuggling up with a book in  )

4 Philip Pullman

Yes the record -selling author is coming to speak soon in support of Brent SOS LIbraries.

Provisional date ( to be confirmed) 20th July at Queens Park Community School 

5 Preston Quiz - Monday 4 July

Return of the popular quiz - can Cricklewood go one better and win this time? Just turn up at 7.30pm at the Preston Pub, Preston Road .

6 Cricklewood Music Night

Tapping into the local classical musical talent Sonja is organising a musical evening later in July - contact sonjarobin@hotmai.com

7 Any more books ?

We still need book donations l Just let me know and I will collect .There is a picture of Sonja at our Glastonbury bookstall in the local paper this week

8 Protest and Survive

Soon we will be staging a peaceful protest at the court as the library hearing commences - watch this space.


Graham Durham

First Salvo Fired in Library Legal Campaign

Brent Council has now been sent the Letter Before Action from Bindmans that begins the legal process for a judicial review. The action is backed by S.O.S. Brent Libraries which brings together the campaigns against the closures of six Brent libraries.

The Letter Before Action in summary claims:

1. a fair-minded and informed observer, having full regard to the facts, would conclude that there was a real possibility of predetermination by the decision-makers that these closure proposals should go ahead (indeed that there was no alternative) which, in turn, meant the results of the consultation exercise were not taken into account conscientiously and with open minds on 11 April 2011;
2. insufficient information was gathered to enable the decision- makers to take into account mandatory relevant considerations at the appropriate time, particularly in relation to questions of need for library services and equality;
3. some consultation responses were not made known to members, significant errors of fact were made in the consultation document and officers’ reports and irrational conclusions drawn;
4. the Council misdirected itself on the means by which its duty to provide a library service could be discharged; and
5. those who had made alternative proposals were not dealt with fairly.

Unless Brent Council backs down the legal process is expected to proceed by way of a judicial review of the council's decision.

John Halford of Bindmans is acting for the campaigners of the threatened libraries. He is a human rights and public law department partner who acts for individuals and groups to challenge abuse of power, human rights breaches and discrimination. He has experience of bringing cases against a wide range of public bodies and organisations, and of advising national charities, NGOs, campaigning groups and regulators. In 2007 he won the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award for social and welfare law. 

David Butcher from Kensal Rise speaking on behalf of the Brent SOS Library Campaign said,

Thousands of people across the whole of Brent are supporting the campaign to save the local community libraries of Barham, Cricklewood, Kensal Rise, Neasden, Preston and Tokyngton. 

While Councillors Ann John and Powney are using the resources of Brent Council to force through the closures local people are determined to fight their closure plans all the way.

Brent SOS Libraries; Save Our Six Librarie have agreed to raise funds for the judicial review of the council’s decision. The Legal Services Commission requires a ‘community contribution’ of £30,000 towards the costs. Each of the library groups has pledged to raise a contribution.

Library campaigners are asking everyone to donate £5 if they can afford it. Campaigners are hopeful that the money will be raised quickly.

Information about how to make donations can be found on the website www.brentsoslibraries.org.uk

Meanwhile Save Kensal Rise Library Campaign who had advertised a lobby of Cllr Powney, who is spearheading the library cuts, claim that he went into hiding when his electorate arrived to see him on  May 7th. LINK

URGENT - library consultation critique needed by noon tomorrow

The Kensal Rise Library Users have put out an urgent call for feedback to to their legal advisers concerning the Council's consultation on libraries. The feedback is need by noon tomorrow (Monday 18th April). Send to kensalriselibraryusers@hotmail.co.uk

1. in what ways is the statistical information about use of the
 libraries up for closure misleadingly presented in the officers'report?:

2. what relevant information about local needs and impact of the
proposed closures could the Council gave gathered, but did not (e.g. the
views of schools, the Education Dept., regular users who were
disproportionately under represented amongst consultation responders)
and what difference might that information have made?;

3. what else is wrong with the needs assessment included in the
officers' reports?;

4. the impact of the six closures on use of the remaining libraries (and
indeed the impact of the future planned closure of one of the remaining
ones) does not seem to have been analysed. This seems to be a serious
shortcoming. In your view, if the Council's plans are successful and all
those who currently use the six libraries up for closure do use the six
remaining ones, will that be practical? If not, what particular problems
will there be;

5. are there groups that can be defined in terms of race, gender,
sexuality, disability and religion whose particular needs are met by one
or more of the libraries up for closure, but will not be in future and
have not been taken into account in the equality impact assessment: and

6. what comments the public made in response to the consultation (by any
means - i.e. in meetings or written submissions as well as on the
on-line questionnaire) that were either not passed on to the Cabinet, or
were summarized in a misleading way?