Comments on Sarah Jones MP’s meeting on ‘How do community-run libraries work?’ – 14 Dec 2020

Sarah Jones MP, the MP for Croydon Central, hosted a meeting, particularly targetting invitations to those who have volunteered before.

Image: Ken Baker – Used with permission

It did not go down well.

Here is a selection of comments, posted on Facebook:

“I can’t’ believe our local MP.

How insulting to our intelligence. Very quiet about cuts now supporting Labour Council who messed up. Helping them to replace paid qualified librarians with volunteers.“

 

“Our local Labour MPs have been more silent about the council bankruptcy than any library I have ever been in.”

 

“Why can’t people be paid for the work they do? Volunteering has a place in society but come on there are so many people needing paid work. How many hours are you going to volunteer in the library on your salary?“

 

“Perhaps we should have volunteer MPs and Councillors? That would save a heck of a lot of public money.”

 

“You’ve been noticeably quiet about the state of the Council’s long term financial mismanagement.

Disappointing really.

There’s being loyal to your political party, and being loyal to who you actually represent.”

 

“The big society was David Cameron’s idea. Why were you not holding Croydon councillors to account and criticising brick by brick and the billions of pounds spent on collonades, a selco warehouse, croydon park hotel and loans to box park ?!!!!”

 

“I’ve just checked the current salary for MPs is over 85k per annum to work in the public sector and our local MP expects her constituents to work for free in the public sector. It’s actually insulting“

 

“Remember how horrified we all were when the Tories wanted Carillion running our libraries? Whatever happened to Labour values?”

 

“Our MP needs to think about what she posts.

Also why she didn’t do anything and kept quiet re. auditors warning two years ago.

Also the feelings of her constituents. …. Now telling us about volunteering to run libraries.

If we want to know that we can speak to Upper Norwood Library. Very insulating.

We pay very high council tax and get nothing. Now libraries are closing, emission-based parking charges, bi-weekly rubbish collection. Graffiti staff and parks staff being laid off.”

 

“Will you sponsor a set of wooden stocks on Woodside green so we admonish defective cllrs and officers with enough food waste until they pay back the ultra vires money wasted …they created the problem they have to find the money from their pockets (not ours or services we have already paid for in general and local taxation and subsequent fees levied…)”

 

“Will there be a cost-benefit analysis? How much does it cost to run a library and what is the benefit on society? I’d love to see that because it would be very difficult to quantify but we all know they’re invaluable. As a percentage, how much of Croydon Council’s budget is spent on running libraries? Probably tiny. Less than 1%? Why are libraries such as easy target? There must be things that are making bigger demands on the council budget that we should be talking about rather than libraries.“

 

“We already know you won’t ask Cllr Lewis about South Norwood Library or Brick By Brick, or the local residents protest, so what exactly is the point? One of the reasons Croydon is in this mess is because Brick By Brick made an absolute balls up of everything they touched, which is why libraries in Croydon are now going to close, but the people responsible are your mates aren’t they? So what is the point? Either challenge them head on or shut up and move over, let someone who really cares do it.”