Jane Milner-Barry, Labour candidate for Old Town and East Wichel, is urging people all over Swindon to sign the “Save Swindon’s Libraries” change.org petition.
Jane Milner-Barry, Labour candidate for Old Town and East Wichel, is urging people all over Swindon to sign the “Save Swindon’s Libraries” change.org petition.
“We need urgent action to save Swindon’s library service” says Jane. “The Conservative Council plans to slash the Libraries budget by 65% by 2020 – from £2.6m to £1.5m – and has committed itself to cutting £300,000 in 2016-17. The ‘emerging model’ presented by the council envisages that only the Central Library will continue in anything like its present form. That’s ONE library for a town of 215,000 people! Some of the other 14 libraries may hang on for a while as volunteer-run book collections, but the council admits that these groups cannot be counted towards its statutory provision of library services, and with no funding and no professional staff they will be doomed. Volunteers will be committed to regular library sessions and may find themselves responsible for raising the money for heating, lighting, public insurance, fixing the roof and whatever other costs may be transferred.
“We need the thriving flagship libraries of North and West Swindon with their wide catchment areas. We need the libraries which are at the heart of the towns of Highworth and Wroughton. We need the small branch libraries with their storytimes, book groups and public computers.
“The fully costed amended budget proposed by the Labour Group on the council would reverse the £300,000 cut and save all the libraries for another year.
“The Chancellor of the Exchequer is using “austerity” as an excuse to destroy our public services, including libraries, children’s centres and even public parks. But austerity is crippling the economy and will have to be abandoned. The Prime Minister has no enthusiasm for the destruction of libraries and his mum is giving him hell. So please sign the “Save Swindon’s Libraries” petition, vote Labour in May and let’s hang on to our libraries until saner policies prevail.”
Please contact Jane at jane.milner-barry@www.southswindonlabour.co.uk to get involved in the campaign to save Swindon’s libraries.
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