Brent's Cuts and Library Closures Face Public Scrutiny Tonight

Cllr Ann John, leader of Brent Council, will face an audience of residents tonight to answer questions on the Council's cuts strategy which includes the loss of another 300 jobs, closure of day centres for people with learning disabilities and for those with mental health problems as well as increased charges for allotments and pest control.

Cllr James Powney, AKA Flakman, will again present the 'Library Transformation Project' which will close six libraries. This includes three libraries in the Wembley area: Preston, Barham and Tokyngton.


The meeting begins at 7pm at the Patidar Centre, London Road, Wembley (off Wembley High Road), just round the corner from Wembley Central Station. 


Residents who want to speak in a 'soapbox' to air local issues that they are concerned about should arrive a little early to complete a 'Soapbox' form which should be handed to an officer. Soapboxes are held at the beginning of the meeting. Ann John's session will run from 7.15pm until 8pm and the library presentation will be from 8.15pm until 9pm.

Teather on Library Closures - Wembley Consultation Tomorrow

Sarah Teather spoke on Radio 4's Any Questions? about Brent library closures LINK. Her views don't  seem to quite chime with those of Brent Council  Lib Dem Group. Thanks to More than Books for this link.

Brent residents can make their voices heard about the cuts, closures and increased charges at the Wembley Area Consultation Forum tomorrow, 7pm Tuesday January 18th. It will be held at Patidar House, 22 London Road, Wembley Central (just around the corner from the station).

'Soap boxes'  (individual 3 minute slots for residents to raise concerns) are held at the beginning of the meeting. Get there early to fill in a slip and hand it to an officer at the start of the meeting. You will need to give your name, telephone number, address and the topic you would like to speak about.

The leader of the Council, Ann John, will speak about Brent's budget and the impact of central government cuts from 7.15pm to 8pm. She will answer questions about the cuts. From 815pm until 9pm there will be a consultation on the Libraries Transformation Project/Closure Programme.

Does Ed support Brent Library closures?

From today's Independent:

The Labour leader Ed Miliband said yesterday his party would back campaigns to save libraries as "a place where community is built, as families get to know each other and form friendships".

Save ALL Brent Libraries

X marks the wards where libraries are due to be closed

Despite the Council cuts being caused by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition policies, Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors are getting behind campaigns to save local libraries. Kenton Conservatives have a local petition going to save Preston library with an eye on the forthcoming by-election on February 17th and the Lib Dems are also petitioning.  At the same time some Labour councillors are unhappy with the proposals and some Brent Labour Party members are campaigning to keep all libraries open.

At the recent Brent Fightback Meeting on 'Are the Cuts Necessary' a pledge  to occupy Cricklewood Library was enthusiastically applauded as was a call for a borough-wide campaign to save all Brent libraries.

The Kensal Rise campaign has a Facebook page LINK and one has also just been set up for Preston library LINK  There are campaigns for all the threatened libraries except Tokyngton (as far as I know).

This week there are Area Consultation Forums in Wembley and Willesden where the closure proposals (officially 'Transformation Project") will be discussed and where council leaders will answer questions on the cuts in general:

Wembley ACF, Patidar House, London Road, Wembley - Tuesday 18th January 7pm
Willesden ACF, College of North West London, Denzil Road, Willesden - Wednesday 19th January 7pm

The 'Additional Paper' outlining the options considered by the Council and the financial implications is available HERE

Carline Lucas Backs EMA Campaign

Parliament will be voting on the Education Maintenance Allowance on Wednesday. This is an allowance that is absolutely essential to give secondary pupils from low income homes a chance to continue their education.

More on the Save EMA WEBSITE

STRENGTHEN THE FIGHTBACK - come to Thursday's meeting

Join the Great Debate on  Thursday January 13th  7.00 pm Willesden Green Library Centre 95, High Rd Willesden NW10 2SF. John McDonnell MP will be debating with a leading Lib Dem ARE THE CUTS REALLY NECESSARY?  

There will be plenty of opportunity for contributions from the floor. This debate has been organised by the Brent Fightback Campaign on a date that was suggested by Sarah Teather the Lib Dem MP for Brent Central who is a minister in the Con Dem government.  However she has withdrawn from the debate as she has ministerial business elsewhere in the country. 

As she withdrew from a previous meeting also on a date that she had suggested, the debate will go ahead in her absence with another Lib Dem speaker.

Brent Library Closures Get National Coverage

Brent's library closures continue to get coverage in the national media. Today's Guardian has four letters following up the weekend coverage LINK

The following letter was particularly to the point:

Cuts should be administered intelligently as if by a surgeon, not willy-nilly on some economic chopping board. Libraries, more than ever, are needed by all ages, especially the young who must prepare for an overcast future. Closing libraries to save money is like cutting off the blood supply to the brain as a labour-saving device for the heart.
Leon Arden
London

 Meanwhile campaigns across the country are beginning to think about occupying the buildings if all else fails. A guide to library occupations is available HERE

Ironically Brent Library Service has a Facebook page entitled We Love Brent Libraries  It includes the following:

We Love Brent Libraries. 
We love meeting authors.
We love reading groups.
We love the information experts.
We love the free events.
We love kids stuff.
We love e-books.
We love learning.

Exactly! Councillors take note.

I couldn't help noticing that Brent's advertising hoarding on the Civic Centre site extolling the virtues of the '21st century library'  doesn't mention books for borrowing - or for pleasure!

Brent Council's New £100m Civic Centre versus Cuts to Vital Services

With Skanksa breaking the ground at the new Civic Centre opposite the Wembley Arena time is running out if the project is to be stopped. This video contrasts Brent Council's boasting about the project with the cuts they are making.