‘The HRA plan to close three libraries is a betrayal of residents, with the council choosing bin liners as a more important spend.’

Councillor David Taylor responds to the HRA decision to close three Havering libraries, including Gidea Park.

“The HRA plan to close three libraries is a betrayal of residents, with the council choosing bin liners as a more important spend.

Over three years ago, before the election, the HRA told us they had seen ‘secret plans’ to close Havering’s libraries. This indicated that there was a problem, but we didn’t get any proposal to deal with this until three years in. 

The announcement of the closures comes just a day after the HRA Cabinet gave council Officers authority to spend over £1m on food waste bin liners. With £260k of spend in the first year and £800k the next year. 

Food waste collection isn’t an option, it is a new government requirement. However, many councils do not provide the liners. The Vale of White Horse District Council is the third best in the country for recycling, and they don’t provide these liners. 

I raised the cost of the liners with the Cabinet and they agreed that they will look at options. However, they then proceeded to delegate the authority to a Council Officer, approving a paper that proposed the £1m spend. The upcoming budget already expects this cost. 

It is therefore clear to me that the HRA have chosen the option of bin liners over keeping our libraries open. 

If we can find £1m to give out bin liners, which is optional, then we could have found £280k to keep three libraries open. 

Everyone knows and agrees that Havering does not get enough funding from central government. The HRA will spend the next few weeks and months telling you this. However, that is no excuse for reckless spending decision such as this. 

No one has forced the HRA into this spending decision. They must urgently drop the budget allocation for food liners and reallocate the money to libraries. “

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