News for the community, by the community.
They are stealing from the impoverished parent who needs a safe, free educational activity for their kids during the school holidays. They don’t want to get on a bus, they want to be able to walk there because it’s free and they are finding the cost-of-living crisis a nightmare.
Havering Council has recommended closing three libraries—Harold Wood, South Hornchurch, and Gidea Park—due to financial strains. This decision follows public consultation and aims to save £288,000 annually. The closures reflect low usage and the need for substantial investments. Alternative services may be explored, but cannot replace statutory library provisions.
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My concern from talking to residents in Gidea Park and the surrounding areas is that this appears to residents as a foregone conclusion being explained to them, and secondly that the Council has not sent any written letters to local people and has said you need to pre-register online for the public consultation dates
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School children from Clockhouse Primary school and the Collier Row area came together yesterday, 6 June to protest against Havering Council’s plans to close their library. The children and their parents gathered outside the building gaining support from the many motorists driving by who hooted their horns.
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Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham has formally submitted his objections to the proposals to close the South Hornchurch and Elm Park libraries that serve residents in his constituency.
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“None of us want to see libraries closed. They are lifelines for our community, not just in terms of access to books, but with all the other organisations and council services that run from those buildings, they are in many ways the center of many communities.
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It is my belief that, with the right people around the table, we can turn these libraries from a ‘cost’ into a community benefit.
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