Hackney Unison slams council’s ‘sham’ library cuts consultation
A trade union has hit out at Hackney Council for what it describes as a ‘flawed’ public consultation about how cuts to Hackney’s library service will be implemented.
Public services union Unison claims council bosses have already decided how to carry out proposals to axe jobs and cut library based events despite having not yet completed a public consultation.
“Consultation should be meaningful and in this case it seems management have already made up their minds about how the libraries should be run in the future,” said Branch Secretary of Hackney Unison, Matthew Waterfall.
The canvassing of public opinion had been “plagued by poor organisation and a lack of engagement”, Waterfull added, and publicity regarding the consultation meetings had failed to give adequate notice.
Responding to the accusation, Hackney Council told the Citizen that drop-in sessions were advertised in libraries, on the Hackney Council website and in Hackney Today.
The spokesperson acknowledged that only one member of the public had turned up for a consultation event at CLR James Library in April, but other sessions had been more successful, with 30 attending at Hackney Central library and 60 at Stoke Newington.
If agreed, the council’s proposals will mean 13 full-time library services jobs will go, along with a further six managerial posts.
Unison is concerned that proposed longer opening hours at some libraries, combined with the reduction in staffing, could result in some libraries being unable to open on days when staff are sick or on annual leave.
However the council insists these fears are premature.
“There have been no changes to opening hours and no decisions will be made until we have analysed the responses to the consultation which ends at the end of the month,” a council spokesperson said.
But cuts to the number of library based events would go ahead.
“The council is proposing to concentrate a reduced number of events and activities at the three main libraries: Dalston CLR James, Hackney Central and Stoke Newington,” the spokesperson added. “These events will be organised by trained library staff. Events for children will continue to be held at all libraries.”
The public consultation on Hackney Council’s Libraries and Archives strategy ends on Monday 27 June 2011.
Members of the public are encouraged to have their say by completing the council’s questionnaire.
Note: this article was revised at 22:45 on Friday 24 June 2011.
I would like to offer my support to all my comrades in hackney libraries they are a fine and principled bunch! I worked there for 11yrs and witnessed the destruction of the service due to the criminal mis-management of staff and resources.
Coming from a poor background buying books was not a option and neither could we afford a computer and internet. The public library is the base of society and a safe haven within a capitalist dominated world of exchange. It has steered children towards a culture of learning and general open mindedness where once the only service available where available from your local faith organization. With the recent riots you would think that this government would re-consider instead hackney library’s are being emptied of there books which are being sold and the librarians that where like a family at my local library have been rendered redundant and replaced (although they can never truly be replaced) with expensive but shit machines.
A ‘sham’ consultation by Hackney Council? Now, where have we heard that before…? 😉
What’s next – a ‘nil’ policy on public libraries?
Perhaps the next step is to have a consultation on the consultation.
In my experience some of the Library staff are the nicest and hardest working people in the council from Homerton, Stoke
Newington, Hoxton, Clapton, C.L.R James and Stamford Hill. All have excepted longer hours and Sunday working on the chin and got on with offering a fantastic service to the people of Hackney. They are now been shamefully treated by those in power at the Town Hall.
I’ll name names Margaret S At Stamford Hill and Jackie OB at Stoke Newington and their teams deserve medals.
Seriously, using a public ‘consultation’ as a figleaf for library cutbacks which have already been agreed is disgraceful. And cutting back Hackney’s library service is an important issue, given that it’s a borough where serious literacy and educational problems exist.
GSOB,we have seen the way that the council uses consultation to try to push through what was already agreed behind closed doors.Its a wonder that Hackney didnt say that the libraries lead to crime and anti social behaviour.
Funny you should say that Pat, given the common link between functional illiteracy and criminality – the library service may quite literally be keeping young people out of prison.
GSOB,I do see a lot of youngsters using the library.Together with the playbus looking like it will be ending due to cutbacks there isnt much on the estates for kids come the holidays anyway.
So, more council bins being set alight next summer, Pat? That’d be about right!