Save Croydon Libraries update – August 2021

The details, including the transcript and recording of the Cabinet meeting item on libraries is now on the website here and here.

Do also take a look at the Equalities Impact Assessment and other reports in the Council papers uploaded at the foot of the post here These clearly demonstrate how poorly the Council’s consultation was in reaching the diverse communities of Croydon.

Were you emailed about the consultation?

The response from Croydon Central Library users was highest.  Not surprising really as this appears to be the only group of library users who were actually emailed about the consultation, further skewing the results.

The campaign goes on

We may have dodged outsourcing and community-run libraries, for now, but the cuts agreed will still have a massive impact on not only opening hours but on staffing, with 15 full-time posts now to be deleted.

And let’s not forget that the current administration has made these cuts to save in the region of £500K, yet has bailed out Brick by Brick in loans to the tune of £200 MILL and spent £76MILL on the yet to be completed Fairfield Halls – an overspend of £46K on the original budget.

Cabinet’s unanimous vote for savage cuts to Croydon library service went through will little challenge allowed on the night

Croydon Council’s Cabinet waved through massive cuts to Croydon libraries at Cabinet on Monday, 16 August 2021.

What actually occurred in the consultation process, in the reports to Cabinet and on the night truly beggars belief. 

Transcript and recording of Cabinet voting through the cuts to Croydon’s libraries

Croydon Council’s Cabinet waved through massive cuts to Croydon libraries at Cabinet on Monday, 16 August 2021.

What occurred was hard to watch, with little challenge allowed and all but one of the Cabinet members remained silent.

Read more about it here. 

Cabinet to take decision on cuts to Croydon libraries – 16 August 2021, 6.30pm

Croydon Council is set to approve cuts to Croydon libraries at Cabinet on Monday, 16 August 2021 – a meeting brought forward from its original September date.

They claim that these cuts to all libraries except Central Croydon library, if given the green light, “will mean that the council will continue to run all 13 of its libraries as a comprehensive in-house service but with shorter opening times in response to residents’ feedback on savings proposals.”