LIBRARY SENSATION: ‘Croydon tried to close UNJL a year ago – stopped by Lambeth legal action’
CROYDON COUNCIL tried to shut down Upper Norwood Joint Library a year ago, Lambeth council leader Steve Reed has revealed.
Speaking outside UNJL after a visit on Monday morning Mr Reed, who is Labour candidate in the forthcoming Croydon North by-election being held on November 29th, told News From Crystal Palace: “They tried to close it down a year ago and we served legal notices to stop them because they were in breach of the contract.
“We stopped that – now they have tried to cut £100,000 of the funding.” Labour councillors in Croydon have promised they will restore equal funding to keep the library going if Labour retake control of Croydon in the May 2014 council elections, added Mr Reed.
Answering questions from library campaigner Robbie Gibson outside the library Mr Reed told him: “Croydon council are trying to destroy this much-loved community facility. “They tried last year to cut the funding and shut it down. “We slowed them down.
“What they did then was was hold a consultation asking for peoples views. “People said they wanted this library protected and kept open and the Conservatives decided to slash the funding anyway – in direct contravention of 100 years of history.”
Mr Reed told people outside the library “We are trying to work with the community, people like Robbie Gibson and the 3,000 who responded to the consultation to set up a trust with funding from both councils and to continue funding for children who need this library to teach them life skills, broaden their mind, teach them how to read. “It’s only here because Labour protected it from Tory tricks.”
Mr Reed was accompanied by Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman MP who was asked by Croydon Cllr Pat Ryan (Lab Upper Norwood) to raise the issue of libraries overall – especially Upper Norwood – in the House of Commons. At this point a woman passer-by interrupted to tell the MP she wanted to say ‘Hello’. Harriet Harman then left without giving Cllr Ryan a reply.
- ANDY STRANACK, CONSERVATIVE candidate for the by election said in a statement to News From Crystal Palace::-
” I find Steve’s comments quite perplexing. As far as I am aware, the only legal notice that has ever been served was when Croydon served notice on Lambeth for breach of contract in relation to Lambeth Councillors not attend an AGM and meetings of the Joint Management Committee, which meant that a budget couldn’t be set. “If Lambeth have ever served a legal notice on Croydon with regards to the library perhaps Steve could provide the evidence.” But I am more interested in talking about the library’s future than arguing about what’s go on in the past and political point scoring. “I’m really excited by the idea of Upper Norwood becoming a community library – I think this is a model that can be applied to lots of public services. “I’m looking forward to meeting with representatives from the Save Upper Norwood Library campaign to hear their plans and if I am elected as the next MP for Croydon North I would lobby all the councils in the area to provide sufficient funding to ensure that the people of Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood get the library service they deserve”.
LIBRARY QUESTION AND ANSWER
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE sent several written questions to Steve Reed prior to his nomination as Labour candidate. The responses all come from a Lambeth council spokesman.
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE: Why is it that Lambeth have taken no legal action against Croydon council over any issue surrounding Upper Norwood joint library – especially over Croydon’s decision to give UNJL just £75,000 in each of the next two years?
LAMBETH COUNCIL: Lambeth council has continued to reserve the right to refer Croydon’s purported decision to terminate the joint agreement to arbitration. Invoking a legal process would potentially be at significant cost to the taxpayer, negotiation between the two councils is currently proceeding.
The issue of the level of funding now agreed through democratic process by Croydon council cabinet is not something that Lambeth council has grounds to challenge legally.
Lambeth council cabinet made a decision in July to award £170,000 for each of the following years based on a proportionate reduction in Lambeth library service and has consistently stated that the local community should be at the heart of future decisions on how this resource is used to provide library services.
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE: The CPCA (Crystal Palace Community Association) made the following submission to Croydon council’s scrutiny committee meeting: “9):The CPCA notes the term, ‘the employer of last resort’ at ‘7.1 Human Resources Impact’ of the Croydon Report. The CPCA asks whether Lambeth have been consulted on this matter and if not, how legally, constitutionally and procedurally this would apply, in view of the fact that the independent and jointly-funded UNJLA has never been part of any Croydon council department, division, directorate or section of the Croydon library service.”
Have Croydon consulted with Lambeth on this matter. If so, what was Lambeth’s response?
LAMBETH COUNCIL: Lambeth council continue to have dialogue with Croydon council in terms of the legal and human resources implications of the reductions in funding.
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE: The officers report to the Croydon scrutiny committee (3.5.3 last paragraph on page 21 stated: “….the revenue settlement agreed by Lambeth for its nine libraries (excluding the UNJL) for 2012-14, the highest allocation for 2013/14 is for Brixton library (£525k) with the lowest being Carnegie (£110k). “The average revenue settlement for the nine libraries is £280k, with five libraries being allocated £194k or less.”
Please could you confirm the accuracy of these figures. Why is the sum for Carnegie the lowest? (I’ve tried Googling this information but to no avail).
LAMBETH COUNCIL: In July, Lambeth council cabinet agreed funding allocations for each library in Lambeth, details of this and the methodology can be found in the Cabinet papers and supporting documents: http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=225&MId=8105 *
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE: What would you say to any UNJL user who feels, rightly or wrongly, that Lambeth has been dragging their heels and done nothing?
LAMBETH COUNCIL: Lambeth Council has consistently remained committed to library services for the broader Upper Norwood community. Throughout the consultation on the future of libraries in Lambeth, there has been a proposal to both continue funding the library and for future decisions to be made by the local community.
Lambeth Council is working alongside the UNJL staff, the coalition and local community groups.
*N.B: These relate to the Lambeth council cabinet meeting held on Monday July 9th
