Refurbished Harlesden Library now open - Kilburn Library is next on the list

 From Brent Council

Harlesden Library reopened on Monday after a £285k refurbishment that has improved the facilities and created a brand-new community space that local people can hire.

Residents will now see new IT facilities, quiet booths for study and a dedicated young adults' area, as well as new furniture.

The Brent Community Hub now has a dedicated area to suit customer needs. Brent Start now also has more classroom space for its adult learning classes.

The library boasts a new hireable community space, which will be available at reasonable rates to hire for events, meetings, workshops, classes and performances.

The cash used to revamp the library - £285k - came from the Libraries Improvement Fund, a programme of work funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) via Arts Council England.

Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities and Culture, said:

Libraries are the cornerstone of our communities. Far from being places for people to just read books, they double up as support hubs, warm spaces, community meeting points and so much more.

It is wonderful to see such a transformation of Harlesden Library, creating more space for groups and residents to meet and hold events, as well as building on the vital services the library offers local people.

Local residents will be invited to a community launch of the new library on Saturday 1 July and our regular events such as Booktrust Story and Rhyme Time for under 5s will begin again soon. Subscribe to our e-newsletter to find out more.

In recent years, Brent has invested over £1 million in refurbishing libraries across the borough, helping make them more welcoming and accessible for residents of all ages.

We are pleased to also announce that Kilburn Library will also shortly begin a similar £765k transformation following approval by Cabinet last week (17 April), also supported by a £231k grant from Arts Council England’s Libraries Improvement Fund.

Visit our website to find more information on Brent’s library services.

Self-administered Covid testing kits now available at every Brent Council run library for collection

 

 

From Brent Council

 

Self administered Covid 19 Lateral Flow Tests are now available for collection at every Brent Council run library.

"It’s really important to keep taking the Covid-19 tests, and to self-isolate if you test positive," said Cllr Neil Nerva, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure.

"Testing kits for people without symptoms are available in libraries and Brent Civic Centre for you to pick up and take home at your convenience. These LFT tests are easy, quick, and you will get your results in 30 minutes. I urge everyone to take advantage of this service. The virus is still with us, and we still need to be careful. We need to keep ourselves and each other safe."

The tests are available at Ealing Road Library, Harlesden Library Plus, Kilburn Library, Kingsbury Library, Wembley Library and Civic Centre and The Library at Willesden Green. Find the library opening times here.

If you are showing symptoms of Covid-19, you will need to self-isolate and take a PCR test – even if you have been fully vaccinated.                                        

For other ways to get a test in Brent, please go to www.brent.gov.uk/testing

Will Covid19 restrictions disrupt Brent Biennial?

A further 4,322 coronavirus cases and 27 deaths have been reported in the UK, according to the government's daily figures.

This is the highest number of cases reported since 8 May, when there were 4,649 cases. The government is considering what measures should be taken nation-wide.

I understand there is local concern about the rising number of cases in Brent with figures said to be above 20 per 100,000. Government action occurs when figures reach 30-50 per 100,000 but there is discussion about whether Brent Council Public Health should pre-empt such action. 

Certainly, I was concerned when earlier this week I saw crowds of school students outside Ark Academy at dismissal time with little social distancing and few face coverings. They mixed with the general public at the Wembley Park Station bus stops.

Unfortunately, this concern coincides with the Brent Biennial which kicks off tomorrow as part of the ill-fated 2020 London Borough of Culture programme. I understand that the opening of local libraries for 4 hours on Saturday and Sundays until December had been planned.  Brent Council might be encouraging people to attend a number of events when they are at the same time considering possible restrictions.

Cautious limited re-opening of four Brent libraries. Face covering and Test & Trace details required

From Brent Council

At the beginning of July, Brent Council began a phased reopening of library, arts and heritage services to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for staff, residents and visitors returning to their local libraries.

Wembley Library and The Library at Willesden Green were the first to reopen. Ealing Road Library and Kilburn Library will reopen on Monday 3 August. The opening hours will be 10.30am - 2.30pm.
We are currently working hard to make Kingsbury Library and Harlesden Library Plus Covid-secure, and expect both to reopen during August.

Brent Council request contact details for all library visitors to support the NHS' Test and Trace' programme. Adult visitors must also wear a face covering. This is mandatory unless you are in an exempt group and you may be asked to leave if you refuse to fill to complete the Test and Trace or wear a face covering.

Customers will be able to borrow and return books and DVDs and reserve computers, however there will a limit on the number of people able to enter the libraries at any one time.

A number of services including Wi-Fi, newspapers and journals, and study facilities will not be available for now, but this will be reviewed regularly. The Willesden Gallery and Brent Museum and Archives will also remain closed for the time being.

Residents are encouraged to continue using the e-Library to access thousands of e-books, e-magazines, newspapers and other digital resources from the comfort of their own home, by visiting www.brent.gov.uk/elibrary.

Brent Museum and Archives also has exhibitions, school resources and access to the museum, archive and photography library online for everyone to enjoy.

To support library users during this time, all items currently out on loan have been automatically renewed until Tuesday 1 September and the Brent libraries phone 020 8937 3400 and email service libraries@brent.gov.uk will be available Monday to Friday from 10am-5pm if customers need any help with their account details or accessing the e-library.

Brent’s Home Library Service will be restarting, delivering books and magazines to vulnerable residents, using our strong team of local volunteers. If you are unable to leave your home and would like to know more about this service please contact the library service.

Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure, Councillor Hirani said:

The reopening of Wembley Library, The Library at Willesden Green, Ealing Road Library and Kilburn Library is a really positive step, however we still need to be cautious as COVID-19 has not gone away.

That’s why these four libraries will be open on a very limited basis at first with safety measures in place, so we can make sure we’re taking every step to protect staff and visitors.

Residents can access the e-library at the click of a button so I’d urge people to continue using this if they can. If you do choose to visit the library, please make sure you maintain social distancing at all times and follow the instructions of the library staff.

As part of the phased reopening of the libraries service, these libraries will be the first to open with plans to open the rest when it’s safe to do so.

Brent accused of misleading the public with its Borough of Culture library posters

 

Paul Lorber, of the volunteer-run Barham library has challenged Brent Council over posters which appear to suggest that the council run ten libraries.

He wrote:

The posters about Borough of Culture at London Underground Stations has been drawn to my attention especially this item about 10 libraries in Brent.

The implication is that Brent Council runs 10 Libraries which of course is not the case.

Brent Council could have done so but Labour Councillors decides almost 10 years ago (2020 is the 10th anniversary) to close 6 (half) of its public libraries.

They also refused to hand over the 6 library buildings (many of them donated and free of rent commitments) to local people who volunteered to run them.

In the case of Barham every effort possible was made to deny the building donated by Titus Barham to the local community. It is only through our hard work that we managed to get back into a much smaller building in another part - for which (the only one if the 4 community libraries) Brent charges us a rent.

While we have agreed to participate with the Borough of Culture 2020 we are doing this for the benefit of our community.

We do not however want our position misrepresented or for Brent Council to imply that they are running or managing 10 libraries in Brent - which is clearly not the case.

In view of this can you please arrange for the Posters (and any other references to libraries in Brent) to be changed to reflect the true position.

The correct description is 6 Council run Libraries plus 4 Community Libraries run by local volunteers.

I would appreciate an early confirmation that this change will be made.

Thanks
Paul Lorber

Brent Budget Panel opposes reduction in library services and suggests handover to a charitable trust and more use of volunteers

Brent Council may be relying on local people having short memories regarding the above options for cuts to library services but they did promise back in 2011, when Brent libraries were 'transformed' by closing half of them, that opening hours would be increased and there would be enhanced service provision in the remaining libraries. Certainly the promise to extend opening hours was kept.  In addition after the very bad publicity and damage to the council's relationship with the local community, a change of political leadership brought a more sympathetic attitude to local library campaigners and some support for volunteer led libraries.

However the budget proposals for reduced hours or another closure  may well bring back bitter memories and accusations that the 2011 promises have not been kept.

The Budget Scrutiny Panel have come out in opposition to the proposals but suggested an alternative which was abandoned before, of handing over the libraries to a charitable trust. This will also prove controversial as it reduces democratic control and is contrary to Brent Council's recent love to bring arms-length and out-sourced services back in-house. They also recommend increased use of volunteers.


This is what the Panel had to say:

CWB006 proposes to reduce library hours and offers no argument that residents will benefit from a better service if this is implemented. We do not agree with this proposal and believe it should have been place in the “Most Difficult” appendix. 

We are pleased that residents in Brent know they have six council-run libraries in the borough that they can go to seven days per week. Scaling back on this universal service would undermine the trust the council has slowly rebuilt with the community following the closure of several libraries before 2014. We also believe there is a real danger that demand will be dampened if people become confused about which libraries they can go to at certain times and which they can go to at others.

There are other options we feel the council could consider before passing this proposal. The first of these is transferring the library service to a charitable trust as other authorities – including Glasgow, Luton and Fife - have done. If our library service were run in this way, the six buildings could become eligible for business rates relief of at least 80 per cent, presenting significant savings without a loss in the service. 

We recommend that the council gives serious consideration to this idea. 

Secondly, the largest mistake, in our view, that the council made before adopting its proposal of library closures a few years ago, was refusing to give local community and volunteer groups any opportunity to run the service. We recommend that this time every effort should be made to see if volunteers can take over some of the services to prevent closures. We are aware that some libraries require a permanent security presence and that this work cannot be done by volunteers, but this is not the case in every library and so should not prevent a volunteer team from keeping these branches open. 

Thirdly, we recommend that Brent explore all options which help to maximise the use of library buildings and extract additional financial value from them. For example, residents in flats above shops often struggle to get hold of council recycling bags for their waste. If they could collect these easily from their local library this would be easier for them and give the library further status as a local hub for council services. Likewise, there is much potential to rent out event space in some of our libraries, like the upstairs floors in Harlesden Library, and we think more work needs to be done to sweat those assets. 

This are just some starting ideas, but it is our fundamental belief that any alternative to make savings in the service are considered before we resort to the drastic step of partial closures. 

Pros and Cons on Library Trusts can be found HERE

Contribute to the Budget consultation HERE

After closing half its libraries Brent Council agrees Memorandum of Understanding with volunteer libraries

The Brent Council Cabinet is set to approve a Memorandum of Understanding on Community Libraries at its meeting on Monday.  In 2011 the Council closed 6 of the borough's 12 libraries in what they called the Libraries Transformation Projects. Local residents launched campaigns to keep four of the libraries open: Preston, Kensal Rise, Cricklewood and Barham. Neasden and Tokyngton libraries, the former in a very needy area, appear to have gone for good.

The SOS (Save Our Six Libraries) campaign was faced with the dilemma of campaigning for the retention of securely financed, professionally staffed libraries or keeping a local facility going through a volunteer system and fundraising. Some campaigners thought that keeping some kind of service going temporarily would make it easier for a future administration to restore the library.

The Brent libraries issue became something of a national scandal and contributed to Cllr Muhammed Butt's overthrow of Cllr Ann John's Labour leadership. In the event Brent's closures were ahead of the field and other councils, of various political complexion, have since closed libraries  citing government cuts as the reason. Currently there is a militant campaign in Lambeth LINK.

Since then there have been attempts by various lead members to reach an agreement with the volunteer libraries with Preston and Barham facing particular difficulties because the Council is the landlord of their premises.

The Officers' report LINK sets out the current situation:

Brent’s community libraries receive no direct funding from Council library service budgets. They are wholly independent organisations. They are not included within the Council’s statutory service, and they have full flexibility to tailor their offer to local need and interest and are eligible for various funding streams as independent organisations. 


 The four community library premises are:

·      Barham Library, 660 Harrow Road Wembley HA0 2HB (15 year lease) 


·      Cricklewood Library, 152 Olive Road, London NW2 (999 year lease being finalised) 


·      Kensal Rise Library, Bathurst Gardens, London NW10 5JA (999 year lease being finalised) 


·      Preston Community Library, 2 Carlton Ave East, Wembley HA9 8PL (currently has a temporary lease arrangement). 


The MoU (see below) sets out various ways the Council will support the community libraries without committing to any additional expenditure.

The case of Preston Community Library, where uncertainty remains over its premises as Brent Council seeks to redevelop the site, is addressed directly:
 

A temporary lease arrangement is in place until the end of the 2016/17 school year as a short term solution. Long term plans for the site are at the development stage.
 In September 2016 Cabinet agreed to redevelop Preston Park Annexe for new homes and D1 space appropriate for library use. Since then the Council has appointed 5Plus Architects to lead the design of the redevelopment proposals and undertaken workshops with Preston Community Library to understand their long term service delivery needs and spatial requirements. The next stage of the design process will be to translate the findings into a design solution that is supported by Preston Community Library. Further consultation will then be undertaken on design proposals before final decisions are made. 


The development of the site will provide a potential long term solution for Preston Community Library. However at present the medium term options for the library are not clear. Officers will continue to work to address this with the library within the constraints of the Council’s property portfolio and market options. 


 Council officers recognise the strong social value provided by Preston Community Library and are keen to support the group in continuing to provide a service throughout the transition process

In a curious post on his blog LINK, former councillor James Powney, lead member at the time of the Transformation Project, says:

In Barham, Paul Lorber appears to be trying to play the Council for either financial gain or as part of his political manoeuvrings prior to the 2018 elections.  In Preston, the existing group appears to be given an undue influence that does not sit easily with either the Council's financial obligations or the building's ACV status.  Such arrangements can lead to ugly rumours about the integrity of Council decision making even where there is no legally proven case against them. 

  This is the Memorandum of Understanding: