Lib Dems call on Conservative-run County Council to abandon libraries plan

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have called on the Conservative-run administration to abandon it's ill-conceived and unpopular plans for 10 of the County's libraries to be run by "volunteers" instead of professional librarians.

In a response to a written question to the Conservative-run Cabinet from Cllr Hazel Watson, the Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, the administration stated that it will "take the decision again" at the 19 June Cabinet meeting.

Speaking in response to the statement, Hazel Watson said: "The Conservative administration is arrogantly pressing ahead with its plans for communities to run their own libraries instead of professional librarians, despite the wishes of Surrey residents and losing the High Court battle.

"The Conservative administration is in denial as to the extent of the opposition to its plans and it is in denial about losing the High Court case. It is misleading when it says it is 'allowing' communities to run libraries, when in fact it is forcing 'volunteers' to run libraries, or they will be closed.

"The Conservative administration's proposal to press ahead with the plans is an insult to the many Surrey residents who have campaigned vigorously to keep their local libraries fully staffed by professional librarians, even to the extent of taking their battle to the High Court.

"The Conservative-run Cabinet claims that its aim is to 'Keep all of Surrey's libraries open while elsewhere in the country branches are closing'. This suggests there is no choice. However, no Lib Dem council has closed any libraries since the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review. Labour have closed 32, the Conservatives have closed eight. Surrey County Council's Liberal Democrats call on the County Council to abandon its ill-conceived plans immediately.

"The Leader of the Council should have learnt from his predecessor, who was ousted from office as a result of trying to force through unpopular and controversial on-street parking charges, that there is a time to admit defeat, abandon ill-conceived and unpopular policies and do what the public want."

The question tabled by Cllr Hazel Watson was:

In view of the recent judgment with regard to the Surrey County Council's ongoing expensive High Court battle with library users and residents over "Community Partnered Libraries", will the Leader agree to cut the Council's losses and stop the plans, or is he prepared to face ever increasing costs, not only financially to the Council but also to his political credibility and face a similar backlash to the one his predecessor faced over the ill-conceived on-street parking proposals?