Save Our Libraries! Our question to HRA councillors is, what did your party do in those four months to make your commitment to multi-use venues a reality?

Mark Whiley, responds on behalf of Barking, Dagenham and Havering Green Party, to proposed library closures and asks, “what did your party do in those 4 months to make your commitment to multi-use venues a reality?”.

“Four months ago, Havering Residents Association (HRA) wanted all councillors to acknowledge that they were considering “all options before any closure of libraries in the Borough, including the conversion of libraries under threat into multi-use venues for existing Council services.”

At that council meeting, Cabinet Member, Cllr. Graham Williamson, spoke of consolidating housing or public services with libraries as ways to avoid cuts – cuts which the HRA had claimed could be avoided only by voting for them in the 2022 local elections.

Election promises made by the HRA in 2022.

Barking, Dagenham and Havering Green Party are therefore dismayed at the decision to push ahead with proposed closures of Gidea Park, Harold Wood and South Hornchurch libraries.

While we acknowledge the tough financial context, brought on by a failure of the Conservative and Labour governments to address local government finance, we believe that viable multi-use options exist to repair, or rebuild and maintain our libraries.

Our question to HRA councillors is, what did your party do in those 4 months to make your commitment to multi-use venues a reality?

Green campaigners emailed council officers and councillors with suggestions including decarbonisation grant funding that opened in October 2024; known retail, health and housing opportunities for multi-use that could have been consulted on with residents; and government youth crime programmes that require physical hubs. We were thanked for “constructive suggestions” but only those with power can make decisions.

We know that operating costs is not the key issue. The week that library staff were told that libraries were closing, job interviews were taking place and the administration were pulled up on costs for bin liners equating to over £1m pounds across 2 years.

We believe that commitments should last longer than an election period or a couple of months after a council meeting, and that more time should be given to engage with third parties that share the goal and cost of making these into great multi-use spaces.

You will likely make your decision on Wednesday. If libraries are closed, we invite local cafes, church halls and other venues to come forward so that we can help groups such as Reading Clubs, Baby Bounce and Knit and Natter continue locally.

Community is vital in a time of increasing loneliness and isolation, we have to keep these things alive.

We look forward to speaking at the Rally against library closures, organised by staff unions, outside the Town Hall on Wednesday at 6:30pm. All are welcome to attend.”

Mark Whiley Green Party Coordinator for Havering and Barking and Dagenham.

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