Newsflash from Lincolnshire, where brilliant campaigners had to mount a judicial review as the only way to make the county reconsider its drastic pan to close most of its libraries – and offer them to volunteers to run.
This despite overwhelming opposition to the plan when they consulted on it. If you can call it consulting…
The High Court judge made it clear that the consultation was insincere, to say the least.
He also made it clear that they must take a proper look at an offer by GLL to make all the required savings, while maintaining a full library service in ALL branches, with no loss of jobs.
Lincs County Council is in no hurry to comply. A decision will be made in February, apparently.
Much worse, it stubbornly maintains that the closures are still its ‘preferred option’.
Worst of all, libraries lead councillor Nick Wrth is quoted thus: “We have been impressed by the willingness of communities and volunteers to work with us to develop a network of community hubs in the county.
“We believe these to be of great value, both now and in the future, and will continue to work closely with these volunteers over the coming months.”
We suggest Cllr Worth takes a look at the Save Lincs Libraries website, where they have been collecting furious comments from all those ‘volunteers’, making it quite clear that they they don’t want to run libraries at all.
They are offering to do so under duress, and only because Lincs CC seems determined to destroy their libraries completely unless they take them on.
http://savelincslibraries.org.uk/2014/02/10/community-groups-give-real-reason-for-saving-libraries
Mr. Worth and his crew cannot have an “open mind” if their original plan is still their “preferred choice”. This is exactly the kind of attitude that the High Court Judge criticise.
The arrogance of the LCC executive is beyond belief. Not only have the wasted thousands of rate payers money on a defence that jsut was never going to stick. They have been proven, in court, to have misled the electorate of Lincolnshire, and yet they continue to mis represent what is being, and has been said all along, “you have got it wrong”. They should be ashamed, and do not represent the people of this county. They are merely following the ideaological dogma of their Whitehall masters.