Cabinet Resources committee to agree to selling Friern Barnet Library BEFORE court case is heard

In an extraordinarily provocative move, Barnet Council has moved to agree to sell Friern Barnet library BEFORE the court case to determine whether the Peoples library will be evicted. The court date for the hearing is on the 18th Dec, wheras the cabinet resources committee is on the 17th. The papers are listed here

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g7370/Agenda%20frontsheet%2014th-Nov-2012%20Advanced%20Notice%20of%20Proposed%20Decisions%20under%20Executive%20Functions.pdf?T=0

The Barnet Eye believes that this move is a highly stupid ploy. One wonders what the District Judge hearing the case will make of this snub to the judiciary?

Here is a list of the members of the Cabinet Resources committee, their emails and their surgery details. I urge every reader of the Barnet Eye who cares about the future of the library service to attend at least one of these surgeries and to make clear to them that the people of Barnet love and cherish their library service.

The strongest message you can send the councillors about keeping your own library is to support the people of Friern Barnet in their battle to save Friern Library. I attended (and did the sound) for the Will Self booksigning at Friern Library. It brought home to me just how underused the space is at the other libraries and how dynamic the Peoples library has become. Barnet Council should be working with the people on the ground at Friern, to build a beacon of literacy and learning. Instead they seem not to care. There ware between 150 and 200 people there for Will Self and a fantastic night was had by all. People from all walks of life attended. One man, who works in the City of London said to me as I packed up "I used to sneer at the Occupy people outside St Pauls, this is the first time I've been to this Library and they have done a magnificent job. I can't believe I'd ever have said that they would have lessons for Barnet Council". 

The truth is that there is a big lesson for Barnet in what is happening at Friern. The lesson is that people love their libraries and care for them. If an uncaring council scorns the people, then groups like occupy will fill the vacuum. If the Council succeeds and shuts the library, they will have made Occupy into heroes of the people in Barnet, even with staunch Tory voters. That would be a spectacular own goal. I urge all councillors to listen to reason.

Cabinet Resources Committee emails and surgery details. Please make the effort

cllr.d.thomas@barnet.gov.uk  

Surgery : First Wednesday of each month, 7.00-8.00pm. Avenue House, East End Road,Finchley N3. 

cllr.r.cornelius@barnet.gov.uk 

Surgery : Third Saturday of the month 10.30am-12noon. Barnet House, 1255 High Road, N20.

cllr.t.davey@barnet.gov.uk

Surgery - 1st Thursday of each month 6pm-7.30pm.

Alternating between:

Edgware Library, Station Road, Edgware HA8.

Mill Hill Library, Hartley Avenue, Mill Hill NW7.

Call 020 8958 3364 to confirm location of next surgery.

cllr.a.harper@barnet.gov.uk 

No Surgery details listed

cllr.s.rajput@barnet.gov.uk

Surgery Details - Third Saturday of the month 10.30am-12noon. Barnet House, 1255 High Road, N20.

cllr.r.rams@barnet.gov.uk

Surgery Details 10.30am -
12.00 noon on 1st Saturday of each month at New Barnet Community Centre, 48-50 Victoria Road, New Barnet EN4 9PF.

10.30am - 12.00 noon on 3rd Saturday of each month at East Barnet Library, 85 Brookhill Road, East Barnet EN4 8SG.