Back in July the shock news came that Steve Bullock wanted council officers to draw up plans for cuts of £60million for the next 3 years - even before the Lib-Tory government's comprehensive spending review was published.

New Cross, Crofton Park, Blackheath, Sydenham and Grove Park libraries were earmarked for closure but at packed consultation meetings throughout August the residents of Lewisham made clear their opposition to this shortsighted, penny-pinching scheme.

Campaign groups were set up in all areas and they started collecting signatures on petitions and other activities. Most have a Facebook Page, such as Save New Cross Library, Save Crofton Park Library, Save Sydenham Library.

Here is a detailed analysis by Pat Richardson of the Manor House Library Users Group of what lies ahead if we don't protest effectively and stop these cuts:

Our worst fears were confirmed when we had sight of the full staff re-structuring plan for Lewisham’s Library service 2 weeks ago.  No library left in the service (last men standing?) will remain unscathed by this, if it goes ahead.  There is a joke buried in the so-called plans for reorganisation, to whit, point 9, the first expected outcome, ”It is expected that the reengineered Service and the improved structure will deliver a better, more sustainable Library & information Service for the residents of Lewisham.”

Having a laugh, at our expense?  You can’t be serious?  Such phrases spring readily to mind.  Has Roy Clare (Chair of MLA, appointed under the last Labour government)  been having words with Mayor Bullock?  They were pals when Roy ran the Maritime Museum in Greenwich.  He even addressed the Mayor’s Commission on Libraries and Learning in Spring 2008. 

Overall the staff will be reduced, paid less, be less experienced and qualified.  There will be a hit on the Reference Library in Lewisham Central Library.  There will be no dedicated Reference staff.  Both Reference and non-fiction are expected to be placed on the same floor.  Will this result in Reference stock turning into lending stock and disappearing?  Best take away in town, yet again. Reference study space is expected to be reduced.  This is tantamount to a library closure.  The Local History Archive will also lose one member of staff.

To date no library campaign group has keeled over in the face of the onslaught or the bribes concocted by Council Officers.  I am not sure Ms. Buckton fits the bill of the Ice Queen (or was it the Snow Queen?) and this is no fairy story, but, look at the tactics!  The 5 closures are dependent on the re-structuring and the re-structuring is dependent on 5 closures.  Room for manoeuvre, doesn’t look like it, which is why campaigners are standing firm.  Just a thought, what room for manoeuvre has the Council?

The bottom line –

New Cross says -   1.    Must be in the same building, which should have its roof repaired

2.       Be open for at least as many hours and be staffed at all times by at least 2 trained, professional librarians (preferably 3)

3.       Be funded by the council to an amount in the region of £90,000 (now £105,000 after new information)

4.       Have the heritage collection moved to a more suitable location

5.       Be genuinely community controlled

They hope to include a variety of activities and to make the library better.

The outreach suggestions by the Council are truly hopeless and uncosted.

Blackheath Village Library says ….. The meeting with Ms Buckton was reasonably constructive and she seemed much more willing to listen to us and discuss possibilities.  She is willing to consider keeping the library in its present building but the sticking point is staffing and volunteers. (I should think so!)

Sydenham says – 1.   The building must remain an asset of Lewisham Council

2.       That the funding of the Library Service – including maintenance and repair of the building – must continue to be the responsibility of Lewisham Council.

3.       That the Council continues to fund, run, and staff the Library and to maintain ( and improve if possible) the existing level of facilities and hours of access.

It is clear that no library campaign group can do a deal with the council on the present policy.

We will all lose out if they do, or if this Council overrides local feeling (not uncommon!) – all users, all potential users, future users all council tax-payers and all tax-payers.  We are ALL paying and we all deserve the same service.  Such an ill-thought out rag-bag of policies is an insult.

The alternative?  Read about Bellingham outreach facility.  The original Bellingham Library was closed in the nineties.  Do not worry, said the Council, all residents will use the new facility at Laurence House (part of Lewisham Town Hall.)  Well, “they” did not.  Children, families, the elderly, ordinary residents were left bereft.  The library service had deserted THEM!  What have we now?  Over two years ago the former Library Manager, John Hughes, told the Mayor’s Commission on Libraries and Learning about the outreach centre in Bellingham.  And what do we have?  The latest report says this community library is not yet open.  When it is open “it will be just staffed by barely trained volunteers for a couple of hours a day.”  “In the Bellingham estate we currently have NOTHING as far as a library service goes …. I do not support it being touted as a library service, it is merely a book collection, open limited hours, by volunteers.  It is nowhere near what the community needs and something similar certainly does not come close to replacing Sydenham Library.”

All library users in Lewisham should be frantically concerned about these plans.  The Users and Friends of Manor House Library see the writing on the wall, but we have dealt with Lewisham Council over 10 years.  These proposals are to take advantage of a situation.  They want a much reduced library service – that is their bottom line.

And that’s no fairy tale, either.

October 2010 consultation meetings are as follows:-

Sydenham,     11^th October, 7.00 pm, at the Livesey Memorial Hall, Perry Hill

Blackheath,    13^th October, 7.30 pm, at the Blackheath Concert Halls

Crofton Park,  19^th October, 7.00 pm, at St Saviour’s Church Hall

New Cross,     25^th October, about the same time, in All Saints Church Hall

Grove Park,    27^th October, 7.00pm, at the W. G. Grace Centre, 1 Lion’s Close, S.E.9 4HG 

Turn out will be crucial.  We owe it to ourselves and those who come after us to save a cultural jewel, a true legacy.