ROBBIE GIBSON QUITS LIBRARY TRUST IN SHOCK MOVE
COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNER Robbie Gibson has resigned from Upper Norwood Library Trust.
His shock resignation “with sadness” came in a Facebook post in which he said he had “received an email in error that has led me to question how included I was and whether I could best serve the interests of our library as a member of the Trust.”
He added: “I am going to take some time out to consider my position. “I hope though that I can continue to be an advocate for our library as a Friend of Lambeth Libraries and through the Upper Norwood Library Campaign.
“I remain committed to the cause of our library and very appreciative of all the hard work the library staff have put in in the face of very challenging circumstances.
I wish the remaining Trustees well and can only applaud their commitment and hard work.”
Confirming his resignation, Robbie Gibson told News From Crystal Palace he would prefer not to comment on the specifics saying “I’m not the story – the future of the Upper Norwood Joint Library is.”
News From Crystal Palace understands that Mr Gibson is concerned at the action of senior Lambeth officers who, at a meeting he did not attend and was not made aware of until after the event, briefed other library trustees on the “unsuitability” of Mr Gibson to be involved in negotiations on the future of the Upper Norwood Joint Library because he is also a ‘campaigner’ who has made appeals to the local community and local elected representatives.
He has told friends he regards the officers action as “deeply inappropriate” and that he has the gravest concerns about the future of Lambeth library service in general and specifically the Upper Norwood Joint Library and the impact its running down could have on the entire community of Crystal Palace.
News From Crystal Palace have asked Lambeth council leader Cllr Lib Peck – who at one time was a member of the Upper Norwood library joint committee – for a response.
