Library supporters attend meeting to submit ideas on how service can survive funding cuts

Published: 10 February, 2011
by DAN CARRIER

IDEAS aimed at keeping Camden’s libraries open were put forward by members of the public at a crunch meeting on the future of the service this week.

Tuesday’s meeting, hosted by the Camden Public Library Users Group, was held at the old Hampstead Town Hall in Belsize Park. Its panel consisted of Town Hall culture chief Labour councillor Tulip Siddiq, Town Hall officers Fiona Dean and Mike Clarke, and broadcaster Sir John Tusa.

Cllr Siddiq said cuts ordered by Whitehall had put pressure on the council to slash library spending by 20 per cent.

After outlining why the council needed to find savings, the audience grilled the panel and came up with their own suggestions to ensure the library service is sustained. 

They included: 

• Charging a membership fee and lending books at 50p a time. 

• Asking corporations to sponsor a building 

• Having a large glass museum-style donation box at the front door

• Handing over library services to volunteer groups. 

Chalk Farm library, the meeting heard, had already been contacted by 100 users who said they would be willing to help if it meant the ser­vice would not close.

But this idea was not universally welcomed. 

One library staff member, who said she did not want to be named, criticised suggestions that volunteers could take on a bigger role. 

She added: “People talk about how much they love Camden’s libraries but does this stretch to saving professional library staff? 

“I would not agree with a volunteer service which would mean the loss of jobs. Would volunteers show up on a cold Monday morning in the snow and rain? And would they be able to do the job sufficiently well?”

Unison trade union member Jan North said: “Volunteers actually do not come cheap – they need to be managed properly and given training.”

Voices from the floor questioned the Town Hall’s take on why the library service’s £8m budget would need to be trimmed by £2m over the coming four years. 

Former opera singer Helen Marcus said she had attended expecting a protest meeting against any cuts at all, and was angry that instead it seemed to be a brainstorming session to help the council legitimise cutting services. 

She said: “Camden has a £1billion turnover. They spend 30 per cent of the budget on wages. There are 24 senior executives earning between £100,000 to £200,000. Library expenditure is a mere £8.4m. We are told they need to cut a further £1.6m from the library budget over three years. Furthermore £140,000 is allocated for performance awards to these people, presumably for their skills in cutting our services. That sum, which should be cut immediately, combined with a cut to these infla­ted salaries, would go some way towards paying for the proposed cuts to the library service.”

Head of Leisure Fiona Dean was quizzed by Sir John on how far discussions had gone with Islington over sharing services.

She said: “We have spoken about this and considered how we could share chief executive posts.” 

Ms Dean added that discussions found limi­ted savings were possible but there could be joint services which would raise questions about the need for both boroughs keeping a large central library. 

She added: “We have looked at sharing management structures, and we have not ruled it out, but we are not looking at completely shared ser­vices.”

Dotted among the 200-plus audience were well-known Hampstead faces including author Deborah Moggach and the mother of David and Ed Miliband, Marion Kozak.

On Saturday, a protest read-in at the Belsize library saw more than 600 people come through Antrim Grove during the day, including authors Alan Brownjohn, Cecily Herbert and Professor Lewis Wolpert.