Council Budget Consultation – Sanderstead Library Under Threat (Again) – deadline midnight Sunday 8th January

The Council is consulting about it’s budget for 2023/4

https://www.getinvolved.croydon.gov.uk/budget-23-24

We feel it is important for as many members of the local community as possible to let the Council know what their thoughts are. We are particularly concerned that one of the proposals is to sell off Sanderstead Library (we assume to developers) in an attempt to reduce the Council’s enormous debt. Of course, the sum raised would be a tiny drop in the ocean of the Council’s £1.6 billion debt. Even after selling off all the assets they have identified, the Council would still be bankrupt. We do not think it’s fair that local residents should lose valuable community assets because of the debts that the Council has run up. It is not the fault of residents and Council Tax payers that this situation has come about, yet it seems they may be the people to pay, both through increased Council Tax and the loss of local services.

Sanderstead Residents’ Association suggest that you could include the following issues in your response to the Survey:

CLOSURE

• How are the current ‘Library Plan’ objectives going to be delivered?
• The Library occupies a central position in Sanderstead Ward
• It is served by a frequent [5/hour in each direction] ‘bus service with stops right outside as well as being in walkable distance for much of the community. 
• Challenge the term ‘consultation’ – it is presenting a fait accompli that the library has to be closed.

Impact on the local community

• The library has step free access for disabled and pushchairs. No assessment appears to have been made to ensure such groups are not disadvantaged.
• The library is of community value because it is the direct provider of a number of services, which have social, and community value closer to where residents live.
• There is no alternative facility for the Library Plan objectives proposed, for Sanderstead residents. 
• Sanderstead Ward has a higher rate of people over the age of 65 (23.8%) than Croydon as a whole 13.8% so residents should not be further inconvenienced by its closure. 
• Six local schools and four local nurseries make regular use of the library.
• If Selsdon library is a proposed reasonable alternative no investigation appears to have been made as to whether these organisations will be willing to travel further or not, nor how their journeys will be made.
• If Selsdon Library is considered a ‘reasonable’ alternative it ignores the additional journey time including a change of ‘bus and will almost certainly result in increased car usage.
• Traffic congestion in the vicinity of Selsdon library is renowned and will only worsen.
• No equalities impact assessment appears to have been made to identify those more seriously affected by library closures.

Alternatives

• The library has space for other than the current activities, is therefore capable, without extensive work to absorb Croydon Council’s published Library Plan objectives.  
• The building is surrounded by green space and the site as a whole is capable of being developed for some recreational use including children’s activity and refreshments etc.
• Alternatives appear not to have been considered, merely a cost avoidance scheme by closure.
• The Library savings proposed are extremely modest in terms of the overall amount to be saved. Croydon actually spends less on its library service than comparable boroughs.
• The priority repairs estimate are not acceptable without a quantified breakdown of costs.

Other considerations  

• Sanderstead Library is the only publicly owned community facility in Sanderstead and could form a library/hub and be a centre for more services thereby reducing costs as set out by the council’s own policy regarding hubs and the Library Plan.
• The total number of visits to Croydon libraries in 2015/16 was 1,951,000 and by 2019/20 had fallen to 1,465,000 a decrease of approximately 25% over the whole of Croydon. For Sanderstead library, the visits were 35,230 in 2015/16 and 35,222 in 2019/20.
• The library has maintained its viability as the statistics show that during the period 2015/16 to 2019/20, Sanderstead is the only Croydon library with no decrease in usage whatsoever.
• Libraries are by their nature primarily providers of service.
• If this cannot be provided from the public purse, the use of the premises can and must be financed by other sympathetic activities such as community, activity and leisure.
• This approach has been ignored and the only action proposed is a burnt earth policy of closure.

This proposal is totally unacceptable in a civilised society

We know that the library is a locally listed asset and a service that many local people value highly, so it is very important that people make their views known