Many residents have had to rally around their local library over the last few months due to the Tory Council holding the sword of Damocles above the local libraries. After meetings and marches all over the borough to show support for local library, the Tory council have voted a resounding yes to sell them off – fucking cunts.
The Croydon Council Labour Group have issued the following statement:
Press release
21 September 2011 – for immediate release
Tories force the sale of all public libraries in Croydon
At the Cabinet meeting on Monday evening, Croydon’s Conservatives voted through a report which ignores the thousands of residents who have been fighting to save their local library. All of Croydon’s public libraries will be sold to the private sector for a minimum of £250,000. The Tory council has been determined to privatise every library in the Borough since this process began.
Labour Leader, Councillor Tony Newman said:
“Over the last year six libraries in Croydon have been threatened with closure by this Tory council. What has now been decided is a dramatic turn for the worse and a slap in the face to the thousands of residents who took the trouble to respond to the original consultation. By inviting private bidders, including property developer John Laing, to buy up our libraries we now face a far more damaging threat as the future of every single library in Croydon is now at risk.”
Labour spokesperson for libraries, Councillor Maggie Mansell said:
“I was given assurances by the Tory Leader of the Council which are now proven to be worthless. His own Cabinet Member for Libraries, Cllr Sara Bashford has now publicly admitted there is no guarantee that any of our libraries have a long term future once they have been handed over to the private sector. Even Tory Councillors, like Cllr Donald Speakman, who have been supporting library campaigners, were unable to elicit a guarantee that library buildings will be safe from the property developers.”
ENDS
For further details please call Cllr Tony Newman or Cllr Maggie Mansell on 0771842984
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I wouldn’t piss on a Tory if he was on fire!
Jason E Cooper 