A big thank-you to Crofton Residents, Councillors, the Friends of Crofton Library and those who signed the online petition.
This afternoon Wakefield Council has published a report which has added Crofton Library to the list of 14 Hub Libraries which will be secured and will safeguard the Library into the future, as well as a share of the £100,000 fund to improve books, computers and including e-books and Wi-fi.
Full details of the Council press release can be found at:
http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/News/PressReleases/news/PR3710.htm
Full report here
I am delighted that this change has been made as in 2011 Crofton was not included in the list of Hub Libraries and therefore faced being turned into a satellite library to be run by volunteers or put into private hands.
A great Victory for people power in Crofton and many thanks to everyone and particularly the reporters on the Wakefield Express for bringing the information about the threat to our library to public attention.
Jonathan Pile
A Campaign by Crofton Residents to ensure the safe future of Crofton Community Library in the face of possible closure in August 2012 by Wakefield Metropolitan Council
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Tuesday 17 July 2012
Pressure on Council to secure Crofton Library's Future
Thanks to the local campaign by the Friends of Crofton Library, pressure has been building on Council Officials to safeguard Crofton Community Library's Future.
By lobbying councillors, the Council Leader, Library Services Director and articles like the following in the Wakefield Express
Published on Wednesday 11 July 2012 15:50 Wakefield Express
AN author has launched a campaign to save his village library.
So far we have achieved the following:
Reading between the lines - Wakefield Council may be considering the privatisation of the Library Services at Crofton and elsewhere - which is something which has happened elsewhere in the UK with a corresponding loss of public service.
VOTE TO SAVE THE LIBRARY
Click Here to support the petition
By lobbying councillors, the Council Leader, Library Services Director and articles like the following in the Wakefield Express
E-petition to help save village library
Published on Wednesday 11 July 2012 15:50 Wakefield Express
Wakefield Council will meet at the end of the month to determine the future of Crofton Community library.
The library - which serves 6,000 people and four schools - could be axed as part of a council savings review of more than half a million pounds.
And now author and Crofton resident Jonathan Pile wanst people to invites people to sign an e-petition to save the library from clousres
Mr Pile said: “This is one of the most well loved, best run and cost effective local libraries in the country.
“As a local author - I have personally found the library a brilliant local hub of information which I feel the community will sadly miss.”
The petition has already been backed and signed by all of Crofton’s local councillors.
Mr Pile said: “Hopefully the library will be saved but we want to get as many people to sign the petition as possible.”
The library - which serves 6,000 people and four schools - could be axed as part of a council savings review of more than half a million pounds.
And now author and Crofton resident Jonathan Pile wanst people to invites people to sign an e-petition to save the library from clousres
Mr Pile said: “This is one of the most well loved, best run and cost effective local libraries in the country.
“As a local author - I have personally found the library a brilliant local hub of information which I feel the community will sadly miss.”
The petition has already been backed and signed by all of Crofton’s local councillors.
Mr Pile said: “Hopefully the library will be saved but we want to get as many people to sign the petition as possible.”
So far we have achieved the following:
- All of our local Councilors have signed the online petition to save the Library
- Crofton Councillor Maureen Cummings has committed herself to keep the Library open
- Lisa Mayne Dodd - Wakefield Service Director for Culture and Sport has told FOCL that " I would like to reassure you that at the present time there are no proposals to close any libraries in Wakefield. It is true that there is a proposal that the Council cease to run certain facilities within the District but not library services per se, and we are seeking to find alternative service solutions within those areas which meet the needs of those individual communities.Organisations have already shown interest in potentially delivering services themselves, and it may be that some of these organisations take over the running of libraries or offer library provision in another location. Alternatively the consultation among the broader public may highlight a preference for other types of services, such as mobile provision, a network of pick up and drop off points, a paid for home delivery service, and e-reader and e-book loan service, to name but a few.
- So far Councillors have said in cryptic terms what they are not going to do, we will only find out what they intend to do on JULY 23rd when the Library Report will be made but other Libraries feel equally threatened including Allwoodley Library
- Decision Day will be on July 31st - but councillors will be voting on the Future of Crofton Library in the knowledge that the whole of Crofton is aware of the threat to Library Services.
Reading between the lines - Wakefield Council may be considering the privatisation of the Library Services at Crofton and elsewhere - which is something which has happened elsewhere in the UK with a corresponding loss of public service.
VOTE TO SAVE THE LIBRARY
Click Here to support the petition
Sunday 1 July 2012
The Future of Crofton Library - Decision due July 31st
Following the launch of our online e-petition, and emails to Councillors Cummings, Manifield and Heptinstall along with emails to Smoke Signal, Council Leader Peter Box and the Wakefield Express we have received information that a decision about the future of Crofton Library will be made a council meeting on July 31st following the submission of a report which will recommend changes.
I glad to say that all our local councillors have voted in the e-petition and supported the statement
"We, the undersigned call on Wakefield Council not to close Crofton Community Library"
While we have been given very positive assurances in an email today from Councillor Cummings concerning the fate of our Library (until the Council Votes on the future of the Library nothing is guaranteed) we would urge Crofton Residents to vote in the free online e-petition to underline the value the community puts on the work the Community Library does for the Schools and Community.
I am glad to report in the email that the councillors write "that there is no truth whatsoever in the rumour that the Library will close in August 2012" and they are hopeful that the new business plan will be accepted on the 31st.
This is Good News and it shows that local residents can make a difference when they lobby local government especially when an absence of information erodes public confidence in the future of local infrastructure.
Yet the threat of closure was no mere rumour, Crofton Library like many others in the area have been blighted since the commissioning of the 2011 Dagger Report (an appropriately named report after Councillor Dagger which cast a shadow over their future - Crofton was not considered worthy of "Hub status")
Is the threat over? - it is clear that behind the scenes and out of sight of Crofton residents much hard work has been done to save our Library. It is still not clear what cuts and cost savings however have been made to service provision , whether the service will pass into private hands (perhaps Crofton Academy?) and the council may still reject the report's recommendations.
We hope the councillors are right and lets hope for a bright future for the library, which occupies the site of the School which educated the likes of the Bronte Sisters.
But to be on the safe side lets keep up the pressure on the council to do the right thing by Crofton.
Consider the proposition - we often don't realise the value of something until it is taken away from us.
Don't let our Library Close - please vote.
Save Crofton Library | Online Petition
I glad to say that all our local councillors have voted in the e-petition and supported the statement
"We, the undersigned call on Wakefield Council not to close Crofton Community Library"
Crofton Library Saved? |
While we have been given very positive assurances in an email today from Councillor Cummings concerning the fate of our Library (until the Council Votes on the future of the Library nothing is guaranteed) we would urge Crofton Residents to vote in the free online e-petition to underline the value the community puts on the work the Community Library does for the Schools and Community.
I am glad to report in the email that the councillors write "that there is no truth whatsoever in the rumour that the Library will close in August 2012" and they are hopeful that the new business plan will be accepted on the 31st.
This is Good News and it shows that local residents can make a difference when they lobby local government especially when an absence of information erodes public confidence in the future of local infrastructure.
Yet the threat of closure was no mere rumour, Crofton Library like many others in the area have been blighted since the commissioning of the 2011 Dagger Report (an appropriately named report after Councillor Dagger which cast a shadow over their future - Crofton was not considered worthy of "Hub status")
Is the threat over? - it is clear that behind the scenes and out of sight of Crofton residents much hard work has been done to save our Library. It is still not clear what cuts and cost savings however have been made to service provision , whether the service will pass into private hands (perhaps Crofton Academy?) and the council may still reject the report's recommendations.
We hope the councillors are right and lets hope for a bright future for the library, which occupies the site of the School which educated the likes of the Bronte Sisters.
What would the Bronte's think? |
But to be on the safe side lets keep up the pressure on the council to do the right thing by Crofton.
Consider the proposition - we often don't realise the value of something until it is taken away from us.
Don't let our Library Close - please vote.
Save Crofton Library | Online Petition
Don't let this happen - Vote for it, use it or lose it ! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)