‘Whilst Havering’s administration are simply swinging an axe at anything they see as a cost, Councils across the country are turning loss-making assets into profitable assets.’
‘We can make our libraries centres of excellence’-Councillor David Taylor.
Romford Council David Taylor today writes his monthly column ‘Taylor Talks’ in the Havering Daily.
The news has been coming for some time, the HRA/Labour led council are looking to close libraries across the borough. Their reasoning is that we can’t afford to run them, and that closing half will save £300k a year.
Despite this news being inevitable, it didn’t make the announcement any easier to handle. What made things worse, however, was the lack of any alternative suggestion.
Whilst the council are still consulting, they have already budgeted for the closure. So, you’ll have to forgive me for my scepticism.
It is my belief that, with the right people around the table, we can turn these libraries from a ‘cost’ into a community benefit.
Just a short hop down the Lizzie Line and you will come to Shenfield, an Essex Council town where they have a new library opening. Just 2 years ago, Essex Council announced that they are facing a budget gap of £100m by 2026. In Havering, our budget gap is predicted to be anything from £6m to £32m this year.
So, how can a council with a £100m gap build a new library and we can’t?
The answer is, I’m pleased to say, quite simple. They are making the most of what they own and being creative.
Whilst Havering’s administration are simply swinging an axe at anything they see as a cost, Councils across the country are turning loss-making assets into profitable assets. They are investing into their communities and keeping libraries open.
Shenfield’s library was demolished in 2022, with construction work for the new one taking place just months later. It is due to reopen in Autumn 2024. The site will be bigger than the previous one, have commercial space, have a garden, and be a low-carbon design.
This amazing project is made possible by the construction of just 9 flats above the library, creating an attractive 3 storey development that can hardly be called a blot on the landscape.
Havering has two libraries, earmarked for closure, that could be redeveloped in the same way. Gidea Park is just a 2 minute walk from the Lizzie Line and Collier Row sits on a bustling high-street. Once the council closes these libraries they will, almost certainly, sell the sites to a developer. It is likely that a developer will aim for much more than just 3 storeys on these sites.
Should the council get itself into gear and be creative, both Collier Row and Gidea Park libraries can be made to cover their own costs and to become centres of excellence in their communities. They can become high-quality spaces for community groups, learning, and relaxation.
But where does the money come from?
Just last week, I sat in a meeting where the Council’s top staff were arguing in favour of borrowing £8.6m to lend to a property developer. They couldn’t tell us what would be built or what return we’d get for our investment. But, the HRA / Labour Cabinet had approved the lending.
This is because the council is able to borrow for housing and redevelopment, this is a fund that is not impacted by the current budget deficit.
By building homes above the library, Essex Council have ensured that they will get a return on their investment. The money coming in will keep the library open and mean that these difficult cuts don’t have to be made.
And it isn’t just in Shenfield that this is happening. Right across the UK, community centres and libraries are being improved, with low numbers of housing placed above them.
Homelessness costs Havering £6m a year, or £20,000 per family to be housed in a hotel or B&B. The council want to save £300k a year by closing these libraries. If they built just 20 homes then they would save £400k a year. A bigger saving, and with families housed.
The council’s consultation, for the closure of the libraries, doesn’t ask residents what alternatives they’d propose. Our HRA and Labour councillors seem more intent on shutting things down and blaming government than finding new ways to make things work.
We’ve got an opportunity here, a once in a generation chance, to improve our libraries and to produce something life-changing for those who use it.
Let’s not let the council close these places down without a fight, or discussion of an alternative.
Essex County Council have shown how it can be done. A borough with an acute financial problem has found a way to improve its libraries, with a small number of homes above it.
Why can’t we do the same?
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How sensible that suggestion is and how easy it should be to get things moving. Why not ask Andrew Rosindell to get behind the idea. He is a champion of common sense approaches to things.
Typical that money can be lent to a developer who will build and make a vast profit. The council will then get more council tax on the homes he builds, so likely prefer that to just a few homes above a library. How short sighted they are and nothing new there, with them.
Why is that our council tax increases each year, and yet we keep hearing of cut-backs. Where is our money going and who is using it. ?
More to the point Mr Taylor, who do you blame for the situation the current administration finds itself in? Don’t start telling us that they can’t manage the budget, they’ve only been in charge for 2 years. It was your administration over the last 20 year, together with the Conservative Government, who have neglect the funds of the council, thus leaving others to clear up ‘your dirty work’. Perhaps you should be grateful, (as the rest of us genuinely are), that you are not in power. Pretending you were, perhaps you could provide a detailed report next month as to how you would have handled the situation this council now finds itself in. Not likely, as you know you would have had to do exactly the same thing!!