Council flouting its legal agreement

Another library article in the local press, still not online so reproduced here.

Croydon Guardian article May 23, 2012

Croydon is accused of flouting its legal agreement to run Upper Norwood Library (UNJL) jointly with Lambeth Council.  

Whilst the UNJL consultation document gave the option to keep funding at existing levels, Croydon library campaigners are acutely aware that in the previous consultation on six Croydon libraries, Croydon chose to ignore the 'do nothing' option. Will it be the same for Upper Norwood?

The options Croydon put to Lambeth before the launch of this consultation certainly do not support continued support from Croydon:  http://www.soslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/croydons-treatment-of-upper-norwood.html but perhaps most damning is the details Inside Croydon exposed of Croydon's dealings with Lambeth early on in the process.  

News from Crystal Palace: BASHFORD BROUGHT TO BOOK - UPDATE

Residents are encouraged by campaigners to continue to send in comments to be taken into consideration by Croydon after Cllr Tim Pollard has given his assurance that comments will be taken into consideration in the consultation.


The message reads, 

 "Cllr Tim Pollard confirmed Croydon council will continue to accept comments re the provision of library services in Upper Norwood onUNJL.ENQUIRIES@croydon.gov.uk as part of (the) consultation.If you would like to support your library by asking Croydon to continue to fund our library or perhaps indeed encouraging them to invest more. The library campaign would definitely encourage you to email." 

A Campaign spokeswoman added: "And I would too. "It'll take you two minutes. "Go on, go on."

Read the full post here:


News from Crystal Palace: BASHFORD BROUGHT TO BOOK - UPDATE: BASHFORD BROUGHT TO BOOK - UPDATE   Cllr Sarah Bashford has lost the 'culture' part of her cabinet job in a reshuffle by Croydon coun...

www.unlc.or.uk

Save money by chucking £42K at it, and the rest!

Anyone else find it curious that Cllr Sara Bashford, who gave her assurances that residents would be kept informed of developments on libraries, omitted to mention this position being advertised back in December?

That's the same Cllr Bashford who assured residents their views would be listened to, yet disregarded the data from parts of the the council consultation document on six libraries as the document was confusing.

The same who took the decision to outsource all 13 libraries on the basis of this flawed consultation, involving just six libraries in any case.

The very same council who got caught out meeting with LSSI before the decision to explore outsourcing was taken.

That's also the council that have not been able to fully answer FOI requests for the breakdown of responses that Cllr Bashford claims informed the decision to outsource.

The same that assured residents no libraries would close, though since then jointly run Upper Norwood is under threat and then the closure of New Addington was announced. But surely there would be reassurances about how Croydon might provide a service to this area.  Apparently not.  According to the newspaper article Cllr Bashford rubber-stamped the death of New Addington Library without any regard for the space that might be available in the CALAT Centre nor could she give any reassurances about the bookstock that might be accommodated.

Gavin Barwell MP won't be drawn on the situation, still claiming no library will close.

That's also the council who have been caught out for not advertising National Libraries Day but then again why would this be any different? Whilst other authorities celebrate libraries and promote the activities they offer Croydon have for some time now been erratic in publicising events, some receiving no publicity at all!

And let's not forget the great book cull, still continuing to be noted by residents across the borough, which Croydon also failed to mention to residents. Seems less is more.  So Croydon!

The same who kept silent about the shortlisted organisations.

Not a great track record for transparency, is it?

Upper Norwood Library celebrates National Libraries Day

Whilst Croydon seem a little more than reticent to promote their libraries and the book borrowing on the day Upper Norwood Library are clearly promoting National Libraries Day. There will certainly be enough to do with all the special events on offer. Just take a look here!

The Upper Norwood Library Campaign will have a stalls inside and outside the library. A petition will be available for anyone who has not already signed.

We have covered the plight of Upper Norwood before. Click here for details.
http://soslibrary.blogspot.com/2012/01/croydons-treatment-of-upper-norwood.html

Croydon denies intention to sell its share of Upper Norwood Library

Croydon's treatment of Upper Norwood Joint Library has appeared in the Evening Standard today. You can read the article here: Legal row 'an excuse to close Library'

The article reports that Upper Norwood Library's future is in doubt after Croydon pulled out of the agreement in place to fund the library jointly with Lambeth. Croydon funding will only last until April 2012. 

The article also reports that,

"Local residents claim Croydon wants to sell its share of the building - an allegation denied by the council."

But who denied this claim?  The proposition put to Lambeth was very clear, as we outlined in an earlier post. 

1. Buy Croydon’s half share of all UNJL assets and accept responsibility for the UNJL.
2.  Take a lease of Croydon's half share in the premises and become solely responsible for the UNJL.
3. Agree that the library will be sold with the proceeds, after settlement of all costs, equally divided between the two boroughs.

Deidre Mahon, a member of the Upper Norwood Library Campaign group is quoted in the Evening Standard article, 

"This is about a disagreement between two councils and they're using a legal agreement to get out of providing a community library....Croydon have asked their valuers to go in and be discreet about it and plan to sell their share. If Croydon walks away and there are no alternative monies to fund the shortfall there's no way the library can stay open."

This certainly accords with Inside Croydon's account of events, which includes the text of a letter sent by Croydon's CEO, Jon Rouse, to his Lambeth counterpart, outline just such a plan.


What possible motive would Croydon have for setting out such a plan and then undertaking a valuation exercise of the freehold of the property and its assets, at an estimated cost of £6,500, if they do not intend to act on this? Rouse's letter makes clear that Croydon are still pursuing the options of selling off the library or of leasing the building for three years only, with an option to buy at the end of the lease. 

At no point does there seem to be any mention of Croydon exploring any other options other than cutting and running.

Questions for Cllr Sara Bashford

We wrote of our doubts regarding the veracity of this article in the Croydon Advertiser only yesterday.

You can read it here. 


Were we just a little cynical, we wondered?  But then  this seemingly unrelated article in the Streatham Guardian was brought to our attention, regarding the full Lambeth Council meeting, held on Wednesday 25th January 2012. 


Here, amongst the other details of council business and the plight of Streatham Library, 
is this statement,  

"Councillors also approved a motion condemning Conservatives at Croydon Council for their decision to withdraw funding the Upper Norwood Library, which is jointly run by both councils."

No wonder Cllr Sara Bashford was so keen to give the Croydon Advertiser another Croydon Council "exclusive" on libraries, trying to spin things in a more positive light.

Can Lambeth really be getting things so very wrong? Has Croydon really reversed its decision to withdraw from the management of Upper Norwood Joint Library, along with withdrawing any further financial support? We doubt it.

We will publish any comment Cllr Sara Bashford chooses to provide to make clear the situation. She has not engaged with campaigners so far but we remain open to hearing from her.  Let us and all Croydon residents know the real situation please, Cllr Bashford.

• What is the current situation with regard to Upper Norwood Joint Library and what financial commitment has been made, if any, post April 2012?

• And what is the exact situation with Croydon libraries in general? 

You gave the message that all libraries were reprieved, there would be no closures, but word reaches us that New Addington is to close.  It will be shoe-horned into limited space in the CALAT (Adult Ed) Centre, along with the Job Centre, an existing nursery and CALAT (who campaigners were told knew of the loss of half their teaching space of six classrooms BEFORE the consultation results were made public or move announced). It has been reported that you, as cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, took this decision without knowing what space might be available to accommodate the library. You could also not make any commitment as to to the level of  book stock that might be available in the new setting - suspected to be the foyer area with revolving door, making it unsuitable as insecure for those with young children.

A local group 'New Addington Pathfinders' seem to be allaying fears of concerned residents by advising that library users can order any book they desire. This has not been the case since at least April 2011, as some have already pointed out.  Added to this, any reservation from within the Croydon libraries network attracts a charge of £1.10 - quite a tall price to pay for a free public library service - not only pay for the privilege of reserving a book you wish to borrow because it is not held in your library but with the added cost in time in the delay accessing the item required. Some residents report delays of six to eight weeks, including books showing as being in stock in another Croydon library. If this policy has been amended we are sure Croydon residents will be delighted.

And why is the book stock being boxed up, across the borough?  Is it true that the lure of selling off stock at 10p an item to an external company, who will sell on what they can, and recycle what they can't, really the prime motive?  Is it a tactic to reduce the book stock to pave the way, as a sweetener, for those bidders who are successful in procuring the service, to allow them to make the claims to have improved the book stock of the service, as they will be able to regarding the now depleted permanent staffing? Or is it really a promoting of Croydon Libraries, that "less is more" - less choice leads to more borrowing?  Very interesting thinking indeed.  We have to share with you that this particular 'strategy' has elicited quite a bit of amusement, indeed belly-laugh, laugh out loud moments! - If only it were not such a serious issue, Cllr Bashford.

We are offering you the opportunity to speak with us, negotiate, communicate and give a clear position to Croydon. Please take up our offer.

If you would like Cllr Bashford to speak frankly, maybe you might like to prompt her by requesting she respond to this post.  You can email her at: sara.bashford@croydon.gov.uk

And do let us know how you get on.  Feel free to BCC or CC us in at soslibrary@hotmail.co.uk or add your comments here.

Please remember to add a name to your posts.  It adds more weight!

Upper Norwood - History to Current Crisis

The following information is provided by Upper Norwood Library Campaign as background to the Upper Norwood Library situation, now at crisis point.


Since opening in 1900, Upper Norwood library has been jointly and equally funded by Croydon and Lambeth Councils.

In response to a number of funding crises in the early 2000’s, a legal agreement (UNJL Agreement) between the two funding boroughs was put in place in 2006 to secure funding and a management structure for the library until 2014. Under this agreement, both borough councils were entitled to have at least two local ward councillors on the management board.


Until 2010 Croydon Council honoured this and the management board consisted of cross-party reps and members of the community.  From 2010 Croydon Council chose NOT to include local ward councillors instead, they placed councillors from the furthest reaches of the borough who, even with the best will in the world, weren’t ever going to represent the area as well as local councillors. 

Of course this riled both locals and the Lambeth Councillors and many efforts were made to discuss this with Croydon Council in a fair and open manner.  Croydon Council did not respond responsibly and instead chose to play petty party politics at the expense of a strong willed and galvanised community.   Lambeth Council felt strongly enough not to take part in the AGM of 2010 and 2011.  In fact, it was advised that the presence of non-local ward councillors would render the meeting inquorate.

It is alleged that, being totally aware of the situation, Croydon Council knowingly and shamelessly mislead the local community at the aborted 2011 AGM.  In fact the Upper Norwood campaign group claim that Cllr Sara Bashford, the Croydon Council Member of Cabinet,  has repeatedly misled the community and Lambeth Council on this matter.

In October 2011 (following the aborted 2011 AGM), Croydon determined to withdraw from the agreement and in doing so would cut funding at the end of this financial year (March 2012) leaving the library with a shortfall of required revenues of around £200K. Under the UNJL Agreement, if either party breaches it, they are not obligated to serve the mandatory 12 month notice period. 

So why did Croydon Council (in October 2011) determine that it would no longer fund its 50% share? 


It has cited that Lambeth Council has breached a legal agreement (the UNJL Agreement) by non- attendance at the 2010 and 2011 AGMs.  Lambeth has for two years been advising Croydon Council that it is in breach by not allowing local ward councillors to sit on the Management Board.  Campaigners maintain what is certain is that in the middle of all of this petty political point scoring and schoolboy debate is a society of decent folk being crushed by a few self-serving council officials who have not shown any respect to the community over this issue.  Rather, campaigners claim, they have displayed contempt and total arrogance.

Since 2010, Croydon Council has not acted in the interests of its residents (42.5% of library members are Croydon residents – the largest percentage of library users) or the wider Upper Norwood Community.  If it had, it would have at least allowed local ward councillors representation on the library management board or could have explained why it felt it appropriate NOT to do so despite the UNJL Agreement.  Even the least cynical amongst us would question the motive in this behaviour. Everything we now know about the outsourcing of their library service points to a carefully played exit strategy.  By claiming that Lambeth has breached the agreement, they can walk away without the requirement to serve 12 months’ notice. 

Since Croydon’s announcement, Lambeth Council has, with the backing of the local community, sought to negotiate a future for the library with Croydon Council.  Lambeth has put forward various options but these have not been acknowledged by Croydon Council.  Rather, Croydon seems to be resolute in realising their financial assets from the library come what may. This is evidenced in recent correspondence to Lambeth Council, in which they ask Lambeth to carry out valuation works “discreetly” and that there is a “real prospect that the library will close”. This issue has been dealt with in detail on Inside Croydon who have received details of this correspondence. You can find details here: http://insidecroydon.com/2012/01/16/rouse-tells-lambeth-to-plan-closure-of-library-in-secret/

This is symptomatic of their approach to the community of Upper Norwood. To illustrate the behaviours of these councillors:  a group of community members attended the most recent Croydon Council Cabinet meeting in December 2011.  As a local Ward Councillor took his opportunity to address the cabinet on the subject, we saw the senior Croydon Cabinet members (including Cllr Mike Fisher - Leader Croydon Council) literally laughing in the face of the impassioned cause of the councillor who was representing the views and opinions of the community which he serves.  Is this really acceptable behaviour of elected councillors or indeed, civil servants?

Furthermore, on the day that it made their announcement to withdraw funding, Croydon Council sent an army of clipboard staff into the library to audit everything and everyone.  This was the first the staff had heard of the situation.

Useful statistics and other information:

1.       Breakdown of library users by the 5 Borough Councils that serve the Upper Norwood area: Bromley 14.3% Croydon 42.5% Lambeth 30.5% Lewisham 3.5% Southwark 8.5%

2.       Croydon Council is seeking to save £25m in costs this year and according to Cllr Fisher that "the majority of these costs come from efficiencies". Of the 150 headcount loss across the council, the hardest hit department is Children, Learning and Families Department which stands to lose 88 posts. This means that the Upper Norwood Joint Library represents at least 11.9% of this headcount loss which is staggering given the size of the borough compared with our small community. Initial budget papers outlining costs savings were agreed at Croydon Cabinet meeting on 12th December.

3.       The nearest alternative libraries are not within walking distance which represents a real problem of access for children, elderly, disabled and infirm people. 

4.       Not all town centres have Town Halls and with the absence of either, where would the centre of community exist for our Big Society? There is no Town Hall in Upper Norwood or within walking distance.

5.       The library is heavily used by job seekers – there is no alternative space for this user group in Upper Norwood.

6.       Various campaign activities have taken place including sending a Model Letter to those below: Cllr Mike Fisher, Leader Croydon Council : mike.fisher@croydon.gov.uk Mr Jon Rouse,Croydon Chief Executive: jon.rouse@croydon.gov.uk Cllr Steve Reed, Leader Lambeth Council: sreed@lambeth.gov.uk Derrick Anderson CBE, Lambeth Chief Executive: danderson@lambeth.gov.uk Val Shawcross AM, GLA: valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk Malcolm Wicks MP: malcolm.wicks.mp@parliament.uk Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP: jowellt@parlliament.uk

7.       There is significant support for the campaign witnessed through on and offline petitions, social media presence, link up with other library campaigns, support from authors and high profile supporters of library services amongst others.

You can follow the campaign on twitter at @saveUNlibrary and on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/269577509754920/

No libraries closing in Croydon! Hip hip hooray!

No libraries closing in Croydon! Hip hip hooray!

This is the very positive message, delivered by Cllr Sara Bashford, and confirmed by Croydon Central MP, Gavin Barwell.  This couldn't be further from the truth.

A resident, who is a library campaigner, has been taken to task for tweeting about the Inside Croydon post, that details information about closures.

You can read the full blog here.

Mr Barwell is not known for his courtesy on twitter and we've witnessed many heated exchanges with other tweeters, including national library campaigners we follow, such as the indefatigable Shirley Burnham who seemed shocked that Mr Barwell was being so discourteous and so unwilling to engage with the campaign group. It is quite clear that Mr Barwell has also almost systematically ignored replying to any libraries questions put to him on twitter, such as the one above from Andrew Pelling, or from others for that matter, as the following example demonstrates:

When residents or campaigners ask for clarity, they are ignored.  Yet finally, Mr Barwell was prepared to tweet, and we reproduce it here.

Many noted the careful wording - the use of "branch" libraries in this tweet.

The council has sought to focus on the "all libraries are saved" message by reinforcing that none are closing, and Mr Barwell was certainly happy to reinforce this message in his tweet.

Unfortunately residents and campaigners are very cynical as they believe they were not listened to in the consultation process and have since noticed the service has been silently eroded through  the loss of many of our professional librarians and experienced staff.  Volunteers promised for the Summer BookTrail didn't materialise, some events have been cancelled and residents struggle to obtain clear information about activities running.

Then campaigners became increasingly concerned that residents began reporting a cull of book stock over some months.  Library after library were clearing their shelves of books, these were being boxed up, and all without explanation.  It seems, once again, Inside Croydon were the first to receive some information on this and you can read the post here.

So while we accept that Croydon libraries are still open, we have reduced staffing of experienced assistants and qualified librarians, a catalogue of problems caused by this, library events cancelled and attempts to enlist volunteers thwarted, leading to further problems.  Now we have the removal of book stock, undertaken silently and without explanation. But at least our libraries are open.

And then this.

The Croydon Advertiser was given information by Cllr Bashford that New Addington Library is, in fact, closing.  You can read the full post here http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Closure-New-Addington-Library-building-far-says/story-14437221-detail/story.html  As you can see from the comments, New Addington Pathfinders, the so called independent voice in New Addington, are already on board and appear open to the plans.

It seems they are little concerned that Cllr Bashford is unable to assure what book stock will be on offer.  As they say, these can be ordered.  Could it be though that Pathfinders are unaware of the problems across the borough with reservations and transfers? Certainly other residents are aware, as this comment on the post demonstrates.  How do Pathfinders think this new, more cramped space, will do any better?

They seem not only open to, but almost thankful, that the council is sharing this information before and  not after the closure and move.  Are they really not aware of what is going on, on their doorstep?  The CALAT centre in New Addington has been unable to produce an up to date brochure of courses because they have lost teaching space in order to accommodate this move. That's not just courses for leisure but courses run that provide residents with life skills such as basic literacy and numeracy, offering a gateway to improved opportunities and possible employment. The job centre will also be accommodated at the CALAT centre.

Just exactly what space is going to be available to accommodate this library that Cllr Bashford assures will offer the same level of service, as is currently on offer in a purpose built library, which even includes a secure garden area?

The article goes on to explain that the council will not be consulting the residents until after the decision has been taken.  In Cllr Bashford's own words,

 " When we have exact plans we will find out what works best for residents",

 as is the way with Croydon consultations -  plan first, consult after. But perhaps the most damning statement Cllr Bashford makes is that, in referring to the comparable space available at the CALAT Centre and the existing library,

"We do not know what the square footage available will be in comparison with the library."

So the closure of a well used, purpose built library is decided without any consideration of the available space in the proposed new venue. It hardly seems there is any rigour to the decision process or any regard for how a service might cope in the limited space available.

No wonder CALAT cannot advertise courses, no wonder the library is telling enquirers there is no forward plan for events and no wonder Croydon's Cllr Bashford has been forced to make this rather half-hearted announcement about, yes, a closure.

Could it be that this is merely the half-way step to setting up another lucrative deal with developers to offer the prime library location in New Addington up for grabs to the highest bidder, perhaps a bidder already lined up? There has been talk for years of a supermarket such as Tesco's in New Addington. Could it just be that the CALAT move is merely an interim measure, with any developer having to provide a library facility within the complex that they build, just like Sainsbury's in Selsdon, in the ward that Cllr Bashford represents?

Whatever the plan, New Addington are being sold short with a poorly thought out plan to cram so much into an already well used space which is the current CALAT building.

But perhaps Mr Barwell's reference to no branch libraries being closed was really intended to mask the quite shocking revelation about Upper Norwood Joint Library, exposed today by Inside Croydon.  Read the latest here: http://insidecroydon.com/2012/01/16/rouse-tells-lambeth-to-plan-closure-of-library-in-secret/


No wonder Mr Barwell is so keen to discredit and expose Save Croydon Libraries campaigners, as he tweeted today:

It seems that Croydon library campaigners and bloggers such as Inside Croydon are just a little too close to exposing the truth.

We dread to think what will happen next.  Watch this space.

Everything's rosy in Wandsworth

Wandsworth is working with Croydon to conduct a joint procurement exercise to outsource their network of libraries.

The Guardian's Local Government Network blog carried an article written by Wandsworth's deputy leader, Councillor Jonathan Cook, under the modest title of:

Wandsworth opens the competition to save London's libraries

Quite a claim, and what a very rosy spin Cllr Cook puts on the situation!

You can read the full text here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/local-government-network/2012/jan/05/wandsworth-council-library-tender?newsfeed=true

In the post Cllr Cook refers to bold steps and big ideas.  The stated aim of the exercise is to improve delivery whilst reducing costs. He gives, what would appear to be, very firm assurances by stating that both councils will remain in control of their libraries.Contract specification will be tight, defining every aspect of the delivery and there will be close monitoring against clear performance targets. The post, oozing positivity, also offers up that,

"If another organisation can do a better job, we will open the door." 

What the article doesn't say is that, whilst Croydon residents were patiently awaiting the outcome of the "genuine" consultation on libraries, and told the delay was to allow a full and careful analysis of all comments,  Croydon was actually hot-footing it to Wandsworth  to set up a deal to work together.

Campaigners spoke to thousands of library users across the borough yet no one can recall any resident suggesting this approach.  Certainly Croydon are very reticent and have denied an FOI requesting the breakdown of the responses that they claim informed the decision. You can find the FOI details here: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/breakdown_of_responses_to_librar#incoming-199932

It is curious, with all his big ideas and bold plans to improve the service, that Cllr Cook fails to mention the basis of the selection process. This is referred to in the council papers as 'MEAT', the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. Not a mention of maintaining or improving the service on offer, just financial advantage to the councils as highest priority.

Given Croydon's current situation, now at breaking point, over the running of Upper Norwood Joint Library (UNJL), only a fool would try to negotiate another joint council deal. Yet, despite being incapable of working with Lambeth on UNJL, Croydon was silently setting up this deal with Wandsworth and forge ahead with their plans.

There was outcry from Croydon residents who finally heard of the plan when it was announced.  We suspect this is why, even to date, no notice has gone up in any Croydon library to advertise the plans. Many still think libraries have been saved.

It is interesting that Cllr Cook slips in,

"Wandsworth and Croydon will each have a separate contract for their library networks – but only bids to run both services in tandem will be considered.(our italics) This allows both councils to benefit from shared overheads and buying power while maintaining local control and accountability."

This is a shift from the proposal approved in Croydon in the September Cabinet meeting. The full papers are located here :http://www.croydon.gov.uk/contents/documents/meetings/546596/2011/2011-09-19/cab20110919libraryservices.pdf, but the particular part we refer to is here, in point 6.5:

It seems clear, at least as far as Wandsworth Council is concerned, that whilst interested parties may bid for Croydon and Wandsworth separately or jointly, Wandsworth will not entertain considering anything other than a joint venture, with the winning contract covering the running of both boroughs' libraries.

It cannot help escape notice either that, whilst Croydon is keeping all information close to their chest, their partners at Wandsworth are keen to share.  Is the relationship already showing the strain of joint working, we wonder?

Cllr Cook continues to effuse,

"At the end of this process the bedrock of our service will be unchanged: great books, comfortable surroundings and skilled staff."

A statement perhaps far more dubious than merely curious.  

Let's put the real situation in context.

Croydon have already admitted realising savings in the region of £350K through an internal reshuffle, one that resulted in the loss of many of the most experienced staff and qualified librarians, leaving Croydon libraries under staffed and unable to cope, despite the valiant efforts of the remaining staff.

A list of the real and measurable effects of these back door cuts, as noted by residents across the borough, was presented to Cllr Sara Bashford at a shadow cabinet meeting.  Although indicating publicly that she took these very seriously and offering to investigate the issues she then had a lapse of memory and responded on only two very minor points raised at one location only. Being reminded of her promise, she then requested the details in writing which a campaign spokesperson was happy to provide, along with further examples that had occurred since the original shadow cabinet meeting. Despite this, Cllr Bashford seems not only incapable of responding to the points but appears to actually have struggled to comprehend the issues put to her, or their significance.

Wandsworth, in the Library Service Market testing paper (Paper No 11-683) here: http://ww3.wandsworth.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=499&MID=3591#AI22158,
which you can read in PDF form here:
http://ww3.wandsworth.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s14838/Paper%20No.%2011-683.pdf already refers to the rather more substantial savings made of £900K!

This was realised through reduced opening hours, presumably including the turning York Gardens over to the community, who need not only find volunteers in sufficient numbers to man the library but fundraise to the tune of £70K per annum to keep it running. Savings were also made in reviews of senior management (that's job losses of senior experienced and professionally qualified staff in less rosy terms) and savings on book stock.

The specifics from the document are as follows, so readers can verify the astonishing details and figures for themselves.

Dare we mention to Cllr Cook that when he refers to, "the bedrock of our service" being unchanged this is hardly inspiring when residents in both boroughs have already seen a drastic reduction in the service on offer?


It's inspiring to refer to, 

"great books" 

being on offer, but Wandsworth already admit publicly to the reduction in their book stock and many residents in Croydon have mentioned the cull in book stock going on at several locations in the borough.


Then there is the reference to,

"comfortable surroundings"

Not hard to improve on when the fabric of most of Croydon's libraries has received very little investment for many years. Perhaps we should suggest Cllr Cook share some of his magical positivity and suggest to Cllr Bashford that she sell it to Croydon residents and prospective bidders as shabby chic a la Croydon.  

And Cllr Cook, on a high, digs himself in even deeper, finishing with the promise,

 "and skilled staff."

 If Croydon or Wandsworth had any intention of valuing staff they would not have eroded the one valuable resource their libraries did have. We can't speak for Wandsworth but Croydon campaigners know only too well how much residents value experienced library staff and qualified librarians, many having been lost in the internal reshuffle.

It really saddens library users to see the valiant attempts of the existing staff, doing their utmost to make libraries work, under very difficult circumstances.  We can't possibly know the internal workings and changes that have been made.  What we do know though is the measurable impact it has had on the service on offer and we are very concerned for the well-being of all library staff left.  Again this concern was shared with Cllr Bashford at the shadow cabinet meeting.

So there we have it.  Two councils embarking on working together, already showing the strain of this new relationship, with Croydon desperately trying to shake off their existing tie with Lambeth.

Cllr Bashford was so out of her depth to start with she was even announcing to residents in public meetings that libraries were "a nice to have, not a must have" and referred to them as "non statutory" or "discretionary" until residents pointed out the small matter of the 1964 Act. It would appear she was trying to convince Croydon residents that they were in no way entitled to a library service.

And, probably most worryingly, we have two councils who, by their actions, are actively dismantling their library services, but are unable or unwilling to see the impact of this and the problems that this is causing. Yet they feel they are well equipped to not only  pass judgement on the proposals put forward from those bidding to run the service but are capable of monitoring this effectively.


But let's not let reality put a dampener on their bold steps and big ideas.  We leave you with the final words of Cllr Jonathan Cook,

"Competitive tendering has reformed many town hall services –he end of this process leisure centres, refuse collection and meals on wheels to name a few. The results have been improved delivery, new innovation and better value for money. This is what we are looking for with our libraries. 

We should not stop here. We must rationalise the public library services at a regional level. In London, eight million people are served by 33 different library services with 33 sets of overheads; this makes no sense, and is no longer affordable.

First we will team up with Croydon, next we must look to share our costs and buying power with more of our neighbours. Councils still considering a library closure programme should follow this process closely. We believe there is another way."

It appears Cllr Cook really believes he can save not only Croydon and Wandsworth libraries but that he can save London libraries too!

Next step, he'll be saving the world, no doubt!



Should you wish to support Friends of York Gardens Library to fundraise or volunteer http://saveyorkgardens.com/ or follow them on twitter at @SaveYGLibrary

Irresponsible Lambeth, apparently

This week sees the Croydon Guardian running a letter from Croydon Conservative Cllr Eddy Arram, reacting to the words of Croydon Labour Cllr Maggie Mansell and accusing Lambeth of acting in,

"such an irresponsible and damaging way"

over Upper Norwood Joint Library (UNJL).

Cllr Mansell's thoughts were recorded in the eXtra section of the Croydon Guardian, which is no longer available, but if we can secure a copy we will be happy to update this post.

This week's letter can be found on page 14 here.  We reproduce the letter below.

Cllr Arram's letter in this week's Croydon Guardian

Cllr Arram states that,

"Because Lambeth Councillors failed to meet its responsibilities and duties by taking up their places on the UNJLA (Upper Norwood Joint Library Authority) committee, thus making it unable to operate, it does not mean Croydon Council will act in such an irresponsible way."

We hope the reader gets the gist of what Cllr Arram is attempting to say but we seriously question the validity of his point, as we will go on to explain.


At the public meeting held in November 2011 many of the Croydon Labour and Lambeth Labour councillors were present, including Cllr Florence Nosegbe, who had another engagement but knew the importance of attending.  The hall was packed out, with standing room only.

And where was Cllr Sara Bashford, Cllr Nosegbe's counterpart from Croydon? Nowhere to be seen, nor was any other Croydon Conservative councillor. It became clear that this was not the first time. Cllr Nosegbe explained how, having set a meeting date with Croydon to try to resolve the stalemate over UNJL, the meeting was cancelled at very short notice and therefore no meeting had yet taken place.

It was agreed  that further attempts should be made to try to get Croydon to co-operate, some might even say to act in a responsible manner, and agree to a meeting together to sit around the table and plan the way forward.


The background to the current UNJL saga can be found here, including the three options Croydon have put to Lambeth.

1. Buy Croydon’s half share of all UNJL assets and accept responsibility for the UNJL.
2.  Take a lease of Croydon's half share in the premises and become solely responsible for the UNJL.
3. Agree that the library will be sold with the proceeds, after settlement of all costs, equally divided between the two boroughs.

So when Cllr Arram speaks of acting in "such an irresponsible and damaging way" perhaps he should take a look at his own Council's track record and actions. Croydon's refusal to meet and the only options given to Lambeth which absolve Croydon of any responsibility for this library, used by its residents, seems far from responsible or constructive.

Upper Norwood Joint Library (UNJL) faces an uncertain future

The unilateral decision by Croydon Council to 'terminate' the Upper Norwood Library Joint Agreement was, according to Croydon, the direct consequence of a

 "...fundamental breach of the agreement by Lambeth Council". 

 Such breach, according to Croydon, was the refusal by Lambeth Council, 

"....to attend the last Annual General Meeting and failing to co-operate at the 2010 meeting."

Lambeth Council contend that it was in fact Croydon Council that breached requirements of the UNJL Agreement that each council should appoint two local ward councillors to the Library Committee, and that any disputes or disagreements should be referred for arbitration.

Croydon Council’s response was to despatch, without prior notification to Lambeth Council or the Library staff, nine council officers who announced they were taking "...interim management control", conducting Health and Safety, Human Resources and Internal Finances Audit, despite the UNJL being an independent library and not part of Croydon or Lambeth’s Centralised Library Service.

The UNJL’s independent status has enabled it to be 50% more efficient in cost terms, than Croydon and Lambeth’s library services.

Croydon have now given Lambeth three options. 

1. Buy Croydon’s half share of all UNJL assets and accept responsibility for the UNJL.
2.  Take a lease of Croydon's half share in the premises and become solely responsible for the UNJL.
3.  Agree that the library will be sold with the proceeds, after settlement of all costs, equally divided between the two boroughs.

Despite Croydon’s claimed support for the Upper Norwood Library, these options provide little reassurance for the future of the 111 year old Library. 

Following Croydon Council’s recent decision to privatise its entire library service, Crystal Palace Community Association (CPCA) has called a public meeting to provide an update on the situation and launch the next phase of the Library Campaign.

The public meeting will be held:

 Wednesday 30^th November

7.30 pm 

Salvation Army Hall

58 Westow St

Upper Norwood 

SE19 3AF

Google map and directions here

Useful links:

Crystal Palace Community Association
c/o 10 Jasper Road, London SE19 1SJ
tel/fax:  020 8670 4395
www.cpca.org.uk

Upper Norwood Library Campaign

5 Becondale Road SE19 1QJ

www.unlc.org.uk

The fight for libraries continues - Croydon and UNJL

Two letters appeared in last week's Croydon Advertiser.

Councillor Wayne Lawlor's letter makes the case that the appointment of Conservative Councillors is a betrayal of the wishes of local people, residents who elected Labour councillors as their representatives.

This is followed by a letter from Mike Warwick, Crystal Palace Community Association (CPCA), that sets out clear concerns regarding the stance taken by Croydon's Conservative-led Council and the possible motives behind this.

Political football - Upper Norwood Joint Library

Croydon Advertiser's The Insider made comment on the Upper Norwood Joint Library committee.  It seems that there is some history to the current stalemate over membership of the joint committee.  The article is not on line, as far as we are aware but you can read it here:

Controversy over Upper Norwood library committee

Controversy ensues over the decision taken by Croydon's Conservative-run council to appointment Conservative councillors to represent Croydon on the library committee, rather than Labour councillors who were elected by local residents in the area.

Lambeth councillors refused to attend the AGM of the joint committee meeting in protest against a breach of the rules.

 Crystal Palace Community Association claims that Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher is aware that he is obliged, under the terms of the joint library agreement, to appoint two opposition members to the committee. They go on to state,

"This would remove his ability to force through the sort of damaging measures that are being inflicted on Croydon's libraries, such as significant staff redundancies, reduced opening, privatisation or closure."

The full Croydon Guardian article is available on line here: Councillors boycott library committee over 'rule breach'