The Scoop

Lewisham Council pushes through library closures

Adam Bienkov | Thursday 17 February, 2011 12:03

Labour-run Lewisham Council today confirmed the closure of five of its libraries blaming “ideological cuts” imposed by the coalition government.

Mayor Sir Steve Bullock was heckled by protestors as he announced the closures, against what was described as “unanimous opposition” from local residents.

Blackheath Village Library, Sydenham Library, Crofton Park Library, New Cross Library and Grove Park Library will all close their doors from the 28th May this year.

The libraries already operate limited opening hours and the council claim that they can no longer afford to maintain or modernise the buildings.

Closing them will save the Council just under £1 million. Lewisham need to cut £60 million from their budget over the next three years.

Other cuts agreed today include the closure of the Amersham Early Years Centre by August this year and cuts to a wide range of voluntary projects.

However, Lewisham claim to have been “inundated” with calls from residents and voluntary organisations wanting to help re-open council buildings for community use. A council consultation found that 10% of respondents were willing to volunteer to run library services.

Rents and charges for council services will also increase with school meals rising from £1.40 to £2.00 over the next few years and the price of some yearly parking permits rising from £100 to £200.

Maximum charges on adult social care will rise to £500 a week by next year, an increase of 72%. Director of the Lewisham Disability Coalition Carol Mew told councillors that disabled people were being made to suffer disproportionately from the cuts:

If you charge poor people for services like getting them out of bed and getting them washed then it is completely different to saying we’re going to increase charges for people to use leisure services or parking, but it is being treated in the same way. Any increase in charges will have a dramatic effect.

Mayor Bullock said he would ask officers to look again at the impact on disabled people.

Lewisham’s programme of cuts have met with widespread resistance from locals including numerous petitions and a recent sit-in protest at New Cross Library.

Last November rioting broke out outside the town hall causing Lewisham Council to hold today’s meeting during work hours.

Protestors today accused the council of “doing the Tories’ dirty work for them” and heckled councillors to “stand up for yourselves.”

In return Labour councillors repeatedly tried to pin the blame for the cuts on the coalition government with Councillor Paul Maslin telling residents that they were “under attack” from the “machismo and bravado” of Secretary of State for Local Government Eric Pickles.

Photograph of New Cross Library by Paul at SE13URE

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