The battle to save Matson library rages on
THE battle to save Matson library rages on.
Two weeks ago The Citizen reported the campaign being kickstarted in the area to save the community facility from closure.
At the start of the month Gloucestershire County Council leader Mark Hawthorne announced some communities would have to play an active role in staffing their libraries if they wanted to keep them open.
Now, public figures in Matson have written an open letter to Mr Hawthorne to show their concerns.
Gloucester city councillor Kate Haigh, (Lab. Matson and Robinswood) said: "Matson library supports everyone in the community, from the youngest to the oldest. It is more than just a building with books in.
"Our community has challenges and does a lot to support itself but we value the professionals who help us. The library is a service we value and want to keep."
The letter points out that the library already relies on the good will of volunteers and has a key role to play in the heart of the community.
Among the recommendations of the letter is the demand that Matson library be considered for development as a "Library Express", if any cuts are necessary, rather than cutting the service completely.
Penny Liddicott, chief executive of GL Communities, is concerned about the implications of a community run library.
She said: "There are serious questions about the success of community-run libraries in Berkshire and we need to work together to get the best for the people of Matson."
Meanwhile Julian Hiles, chairman of Matson and Robinswood Residents' Group, believes any closure would be devastating.
He said: "Any cuts must be made based on proper impact assessments.
"Removing libraries from poorer, less developed communities with less capacity, and lower literacy levels will be devastating.
"Why is it that the proposed remaining libraries will be left in prosperous, successful areas with less need?"
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by Tom, Hucclecote
Monday, December 13 2010, 2:22PM
“Perhaps these County Councillors should heed what Eric Pickles has to say.... And I quote...Mr Pickles told BBC Radio 4's Today programme councils could still provide a "decent service" and save money through changes like sharing chief executives and the way they buy goods and services. It was "no longer viable" for councils to have their own legal departments, education departments and planning departments, he said.
So how about a Unitarian County Council!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes sense tothe electorate so how does it not make sense to the County Councillors ?? Oh sorry that would mean that top jobs would go and services would remain.”
by Jimmy, glos
Sunday, December 12 2010, 3:10AM
“Just a minor point Mary, its not the national debt the government is tackling, but the debt interest. The national debt is largely ignored these days, I am assuming there are plans for some good times ahead, where there will be a surplus, and some debts will be paid off. At the moment, governments are just trying to stay afloat.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/junebudget_diagrams.htm
Ever since about 2002, governments have been spending more than was coming in.
Page 10 debt interest was £27 billion in 2006
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/6/B/bud06_ch1_149.pdf
Page 21 debt interest was £30 billion in 2007
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/C/B/bud07_chapter1_314.pdf
Page 18 debt interest was £31billion in 2008
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/news/nol/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/13_03_08bud08_completereport.pdf
Page 18 debt interest was £28billion in 2009
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/news/nol/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/22_04_09bud09_completereport_2591.pdf
However government spent £671 billion and only got £496billion! Part of the reason the government received less money was due to the recession, and a lot of credit seized up. I.E people didn¿t buy homes. So government did get the stamp duty. Some companies laid people off. So government lost income taxes. Those people signed on and so on.
So the current budget in 2010
Page 11 debt interest is £43 billion, because the government had to borrow more money, and that money came with a higher interest rate due to risks and fears of the bonds market.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/budget2010_chapter1.pdf”
by Keith, Matson
Saturday, December 11 2010, 10:56PM
“Link to a copy of the open letter to Hawthorne.
http://cherishingmatson.blogspot.com/2010/12/third-sector-stands-with-councillors.html”
by Keith, Matson
Saturday, December 11 2010, 9:25PM
“[Does anyone actually know how much this library will cost to run if the community just takes it over???
jimmy, glos]
It's impossible to say since their are so many variations of ways this could be done. We do know that it's money we haven't got and won't be given and that qualified staff will be laid off so we can find local volunteers. Perhaps they're expecting all the sacked librarians to volunteer in the community-run libraries since they'll suddenly have a lot more free time.”
by Mary, GRHhhhh
Saturday, December 11 2010, 6:24PM
“The whole cuts thing is load of ideological poo anyway. The national debt has been substantial for over 300 years and after the war the debt was especially big - this was when the NHS and welfare state were started!
My 9 yr old daughter's friend's mum will be made redundant due to the cuts - so my daughter is shutting her Halifax account! They have become part of the Lloyds group - one of the banking groups who's selfish, irresponsibility has left us in this mess. And still they won't help us.
The banks get let off, the rich get let off their taxes. We lose our jobs, our libraries, our youth centres, some policing, some school services, the Govt drops responsibility of the NHS and turns it into competing businesses....
The list goes on”
by Glevum_Girl, Gloucester
Saturday, December 11 2010, 4:28PM
“There is a petition to sign to save the library. The petition is at The Gateway.”
by jimmy, glos
Saturday, December 11 2010, 4:00PM
“Does anyone actually know how much this library will cost to run if the community just takes it over???”
by Tom, Hucclecote
Saturday, December 11 2010, 2:11PM
“Quote from Bemused...But not enough to keep libraries open in the poorest parts of our wealthy county
This is because the main ones staying are Tory led wards.”
by Bemused resident, Gloucestershire
Saturday, December 11 2010, 1:13PM
“This is a strange sort of "financial crisis". There's still plenty of money for bankers' bonuses, plenty for businessmen to salt away overseas in their wives' names, plenty for Premiership footballers, nearly £1m to pay for Mark Hawthorne and his pals on the county council to trouser and plenty of inherited cash in the bank to cushion Clegg and Cameron from any inconvenience.
But not enough to keep libraries open in the poorest parts of our wealthy county.
And not enough to keep the mobile library lifeline for our old folk.”
by Keith Hebden, Matson
Saturday, December 11 2010, 12:01PM
“And it just gets worse.
One of the criteria for deciding which libraries to close down was whether they were within 20 minutes drive of another library. So they keep the library in Longlevens and Hucclecote where they have cars and close the one in Matson where many people can't afford the bus let alone a car.
And by only offering grants on properties sold locally the GCC further discriminates against poorer communities.
Another criteria allegedly used was 'use of the buildling but the methodology was faulty and left no room for the fact that in low literacy areas there is more need for a library not less.
David Cameron said that we're all in this together. 'Meeting the Challenge' has shown just how much of a nonsense this sentiment is.”