People power wins on libraries
THERE are two very different views on what the future of the Chilwell, Barwon Heads and Highton libraries should be.
The view of the council remains that there is a strong social and financial case to close the three libraries.
The view of the communities affected — that they should be kept open — has been loudly proclaimed.
In practical terms the libraries look safe until mid-next year and probably many years beyond.
The administrators are likely in harmony with council officers’ new approach to delay the closures until a new social infrastructure plan is completed.
That will put any mooted future closures on the other side of the October election of our new council.
What are the chances the new councillors — having seen what a fiery, popular issue this is — push forward with any closure plans?
Even if the social infrastructure plan came back saying the libraries should still be closed, would the new councillors accept the officers recommendation? That doesn’t seem very likely. Especially since the new boundaries put the three red-hot libraries in three wards where there are a total of eight councillors.
In those circumstances is a majority of council going to chomp down on those spicy jalapenos? It’s hard to see that they would. Which means, for a while at least, the popular resistance to the closures has triumphed — the people have won.
Credit should go to the spirit of those who fought the campaign that snowballed from small beginnings to a real result.
The people who mounted this voracious campaign were armed with good intentions and sturdy letter writing skills. They weren’t people with ready access to the levers of power. They were just normal community people who believed in the educational and social role that humble local libraries play in our community.