What Ealing residents said about the prospect of their libraries being privatised.
Read Stop the privatisation of Public Libraries: Ealing Gazette readers say no to Library Privatisa…: According to a quick poll (see below) in the Ealing Gazette the overwhelming majority of people who read the paper have said no to Lib…
What would Croydon residents say, if asked?
Are you happy for John Laing Integrated Services to take over the running of all Croydon Libraries?
Respond to our poll on the right and please share your thoughts by posting…
Despite wide national publicity of the event, Croydon have ignored Croydon residents’ love and support for libraries by failing to mark National Libraries Day yet again. You’d have thought having been caught out last year by the Save Croydon Libraries Campaign and The Bookseller they would have upped their game and at least shown willing.
Alas, no.
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| Libraries? Loving them? You what? Nah! |
Yet another Vicky Pollard moment.
We have actively resisted posting this info before the day as we know staff were pushed into a flurry of activity last year to cover up Croydon’s complete lack of promotion of National Libraries Day in 2012 when Croydon were exposed by The Bookseller article. The pitiful displays throw together by already pressed staff were a sad reminder of Croydon’s lack of care or support for our libraries.
For Croydon to repeat the total blanking of National Libraries Day in 2013 is clearly unforgivable and only highlights the authority’s inability or unwillingness to celebrate our libraries.
This is the authority who takes funding from The Reading Agency, a staunch supporter of National Libraries Day, for the excellent Reading Activists project ( formerly MyVoiceUK) but Croydon have consistently failed to advertise the scheme. Today a small group of teens will attend an activity that the council consistently fails to advertise on its own website, including today’s event on National Libraries Day.
This project could be reaching out and engaging with so many youth in a positive way.
The youth involved continue to try to promote the scheme but the council will not even support their efforts on social media. Other once thriving activities for youth have floundered also, run down from once heaving numbers with waiting lists to now regularly attracting only a handful or on several occasions no attendees.
Croydon really deserves better!
A sad reminder of Croydon’s hastily cobbled together displays to cover up last year.
Many suspect Croydon keeps so quiet about libraries to keep the attention off the deal being done to outsource them. Some transparency wouldn’t go amiss. With local authorities across the country shouting about the value of libraries and what they have to offer today to celebrate National Libraries Day, Croydon is more interested in keeping a low profile.
That speaks volumes!
“John Laing plc is owned by the UK investment fund Henderson Group that established a new parent company in the Republic of Ireland to reduce its tax bill. This move cuts the rate of corporation tax it pays from 28% in the UK to about 20% in Ireland.
So if this diabolical move succeeds the Council will be colluding with a UK tax dodging firm on the same level as Amazon, Starbucks and Google. Such companies make their profits mainly in the UK and pay lower taxes abroad.
Any wonder we feel we are not ALL in this together?”
Concerned resident – name provided
What do you think?
John Laing already have an established but secretive business link with Croydon, including the building of the new Council offices, if we believe the word of Croydon Council, at nil cost to Croydon. Details here from John Laings which seems to imply it’s a 50 / 50 deal.
Add a comment here or email your comment to savecroydonlibraries@gmail.com, making clear how you wish your post to be signed.
We look forward to adding your comments.
The decision to award the Croydon libraries contract to John Laing Integrated Services (JLIS) has been called into scrutiny and will be heard this Wednesday, 5th December at 6.30pm in the Town Hall Council Chambers. You can find the papers here:
Quite why Croydon is so reticent to release details of their decision will become clear shortly but it now appears to have been confirmed that Laings will run our libraries. This will need altering to reflect this change but do follow the campaign and send us any information or comments you have. Everything will be treated in confidence, unless you are happy to be quoted.
You can only do what you can, big society and all that, but some councils seem determined to put every barrier in your way. They just don’t get it, do they?
Residents are being mislead and misinformed about events in Croydon libraries by haphazard, careless, some might even go as far to say a shambolic handling of the details and advertising.
The latest is that the Creative Writing Session advertised for tomorrow, Saturday 4th August, 2012 at Sanderstead Library is not on and has been moved! The new date is now Tuesday, 7th August, 2012 from 3-4pm.
Saddened at the lack of promotion of Croydon libraries and of the activities run in them, we have done out utmost to promote the details. It is not easy as Croydon Council, so proud to serve, refuses to release a list of library events to the campaign group or to individuals who request them.
A new blog, Teens4Libraries, has also sprung up, trying to promote libraries and library events, particularly in Croydon libraries. They are tweeting about events in order to promote them as many library events are so poorly supported now as Croydon residents just don’t know about them. They have been promoting this series of events via their blog and twitter.
If this date is incorrect, how many others are also? It is difficult not to trust information clearly advertised.
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| The actual poster, advertising the date. |
Spot the mistake? No. We couldn’t either.
And it is also clearly listed on the council’s own website, at the top of the list, still visible today, promoting the event on the wrong day too!
We fail to see how any resident could read this as an event actually being held on Tuesday, 7th August.
Can you?
Please let us know if you get details of events and we will promote them as libraries are important to the residents of Croydon.
The Purley Festival ran for a second year, with many regular and special activities running in or from the library in Purley. Here are a selection of the events.
An opportunity to hear from a local milliner – Fascinating Hats by Valerie Mackenzie
Historical Walks
children’s activities
and art work on show….
Thanks to Public Libraries News for spotting this:
The Healthy Living Hub in Croydon Central library is listed as one of the innovations in a press release by the Local Government Association.
“The Healthy Living Hub in Croydon Central Library is an innovative project funded jointly by NHS Croydon and Croydon Council. As a face-to-face advice and support service about healthy lifestyles, it offers services such as arm chair exercises for older people, sexual health advice and contraception, and provides a space to link with other voluntary agencies and NHS teams. It received about 7,000 visitors last year and is contributing to council targets for increasing participation in sport, reducing obesity and reducing smoking.
Do you use the Healthy Living Hub? It is an astounding figure, given that the Healthy Living Hub area, situated directly opposite the library counters on the ground floor, is often empty. Do you make use of this facility or know someone who has? Please let us know.
It is so well promoted and receives so much attention that it is difficult to find a photo of this Healthy Living Hub but at least the council have an image or two on their flickr photostream. View one here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourcroydon/4785490791/in/photostream/
Buzzing? Hardly the word that comes to mind.
Read more here: Public Libraries News: Cutting edge indeed: the LGA on libraries.: The influential LGA have released details of a session at their annual conference this week. The session concerns how councils are changin…
Save Croydon Libraries 