Guest Blog - Support our campaign to Save Mill Hill Library - By Richard Logue

By Richard Logue,

Barnet Council are planning to make severe cuts to our library service. They are currently consulting on three possible options:

Option 1 Massive reduction of size of library to 540 sq feet – approximately the size of a large sitting room. Possible relocation from the existing building to another site and our library building sold off.

Library hours extended but only staffed for 33% of the time.

Option 2 Our library would be closed

Option 3 Massive reduction of size of library to 540 sq feet – approximately the size of a large sitting room. Our library would be offered to our community to be run entirely by volunteers. Possible relocation to another site in Mill Hill and our library building sold off.

It’s the oldest trick in the book to give only poor options in the hope that the least bad is taken and that the discussion is immediately limited. If, like us, you feel that all three options are unacceptable and lack vision, please join us in

protesting and coming up with more constructive, imaginative ideas.

Regarding the consultation document, paper copies are available in the library. You can also complete it online at

http://engage.barnet.gov.uk/consultation-team/library-review/consult_view, but take care, the questions are worded so that it is possible to innocently give the council data that they can use to justify cuts. Here are our suggestions for the questions to watch out for:

Q6 We suggest you Don’t Answer!!

It asks you to rank which days of the week you want the library to be staffed. We advise that you don’t answer because the results could be used to justify reducing opening hours on particular days of the week.

Q7 We suggest you Don’t Answer!!

This question asks you to choose a time of day when you want libraries to be staffed. We believe that libraries should be accessible to all groups and open as long as possible. Different people use the library at different times – e.g. parents of school children may prefer mid-afternoon opening, students may prefer evenings and working people weekends. 

Unstaffed opening times will restrict the time children can use the library. It will also deter elderly and vulnerable people and people with disabilities from using the library. We advise that you don’t answer this question because the result could be used to justify reduced staffing and more unstaffed hours.

Q8 Tick ‘I would not feel confident at all’ and put your reasons in the comments box at Q10 Asks how you feel about an unstaffed library. We believe that libraries should be safe places for everyone. Barnet has not explained how an unstaffed

building would be either safe or secure.

Q9 We suggest you say ‘I would not feel confident at all’ An unstaffed library would offer neither the same level of  service nor be as safe as a staffed building.

Q23 Tick ‘Another option’ and explain in the Q24 comments box why you oppose all three options This is the key question which forces you to rank in order the council’s three options, which for Mill Hill are:

Option 1: Massive reduction of floor space to the approximate equivalent of the current computer room, possible relocation from the existing building, library hours extended but only staffed for 33% of the time.

Option 2: Our library would be closed

Option 3: Our library would be offered to our community to be run entirely by volunteers, but with a reduction of floor space to the approximate equivalent of a large sitting room, and possible relocation from the existing building.

We believe that all three options are bad ones, lacking imagination

and vision, and we oppose them all.

Q25 Say No!

This asks if you would be interested in volunteering. While volunteers can be a good thing if they’re trained and supported, they should not take the place of paid professional staff. Because there’s no comments box to express this

distinction we recommend saying ‘no’ to this question.

Q26 Say No!

This asks if you would be interested in running a community library. Expressing a willingness to do so gives Barnet an argument that a community can be denied a key service, available free of charge in other parts of the borough (paid for by your council tax), and asks us to run it ourselves, thus putting librarians out of a job. Running a community library is no easy thing.

We will be running a stall on the Broadway on Saturday morning, please come along and say hello, and sign our petition.

In addition we will be running a public meeting at Hartley Hall, Flower Lane on Wednesday 14^th January at 7pm. Please come along to support your library and to bring your own ideas on the future of our library. 

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Richard Logue is the Chair of the Mill Hill Residents Association

Mill Hill Residents Association AGM & Hustings

Tonight we saw a unique event in Mill Hill. We saw the lesser spotted Tory Councillor at a local hustings. The Mill Hill Residents association held a hustings event at St Pauls School for the candidates in Mill Hill.

First though we had the AGM, and then presentations from our local MP Matthew Offord (Conservative) and GLA rep Andrew Dismore (Labour). The meeting started with the reelection of officers. This was done on a show of hands and Joseph Stalin himself would have been impressed with the orderly way everyone stuck their hands up! Once the officers were duly reelected, we got down to business.

We started with a presentation from Chris Wong on the MHRA plans for a community centre at 80 Daws Lane. This is in the planning and consultation phase. MS Wong explained the scheme. It will provide a new build facility on the site of the old civil defence building. It will provide a place to meet for young people, activities for mums with pre school children, adult education, sport and recreation (ping pong & Pool?), music and cultural events, flexible working facilities, a Cafe bar, a gallery for local artists and a space to promote Mill Hill. It will be an brand new, environmentally carbon neutral building, replacing an ugly 1939 brick outhouse, originally designed to treat victims of Nazi poison gas attacks.  The site has been registered as a community asset. The MHRA has to wait for the council to approve plans, which will happen at the end of the year. This will give time for the MHRA to get the business case together.

Next up was Matthew Offord MP. He commended the local campaign for step free access at Mill Hill. He explained how he'd secured funding for the Thameslink project since being elected in 2010 (read this article for full details on the scheme http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thameslink_Programme ) and this had delivered a new shelter on the platforms. Matthew said his petition for step free access is on his website page, but I can't see it - maybe it is being updated later http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/campaigns/step-free-access-mill-hill-broadway-station
Anyway the Barnet Eye always supports anyone campaigning for positive developments for Mill Hill, so it is good to see Matthew working on this. Matthew explained how he was trying to make a case for the step free access to George Osborne. He alluded to the role the Barnet Eye played informing him of the potential of Mill Hill at a previous meeting.  Matthew couldn't stay for the meeting and shot off immediately after his speech

We then had the Labour GLA member, Andrew Dismore. Now a quick note as to what Mr Dismore does. Many Mill Hill residents think he's the MP since his election in 2012 to the GLA. This is not the case, that is Matthew. The role of the GLA rep is to get the best deal out of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson for Barnet. Matthew Offords role is to get the best deal out of David Cameron and George Osborne. Andrew gave the meeting some bad news. Apparently George Osborne has provided a list of stations to get step free access by 2019 and Mill Hill isn't on it. He suggested that handing Thameslink over to London Overground would be a better way to achieve this, as TFL has a big pot of cash. He said the Mayor may be more amenable than George Osborne to fund the project and a TFL service would be far more frequent in Mill Hill. He also pointed out that the Overground has the best reputation of any London train line.

Andrew then explained plans to improve Mill Hill Circus. He sadly stated that Apex Corner was a lost cause. The good news was that the junction at Stirling corner was being improved, with safe pedestrian access to Morrissons. He outlined the good work done by locals opposing the plans for the Milespit Mausoleum. He stated that although this has been dropped, he expected it to come back with a vengeance after the election. Finally he said he was working with TFL to try and harmonise bus and tube times at Mill Hill East.

Next up we had the question time. This is the first proper hustings in Barnet for four years. It started with introductions

Sury Khatri (Cons)-  "The Tories are proising another 2 years zero rate council tax increase. They will look after greenspace and parks. There is a great push to build lots more homes, They will protect libraries and have shut none since 2010 (ahem). They have worked wonders with recycling, bringing it inhouse. Blue bin waste saves £80 a ton. Businesses are being helped with less red tape"

Alisdair Hill (LD) - "I'm a Mill Hill resident and state school teacher. Jeremy Davies is also standing who had 16 years as a councillor. We'll put community first. We'll reverse the 21p a week Tory Tax cut and use the money to fund 30 mins free parking, have a book and media fund and give residents a greater say"

Sian John (Lab) - "We'll strengthen green belt policy blocking developments on green belt. We'll bring back free rubbish collections to counter fly tipping, we'll have 30 mins free parking and bring back cash meters"

Andrew Newby (Green) -  "Our candidate in Mill Hill is David Williams, who used to be a Labour councillor. We'll champion Green spaces, enact a 20mph limit in Barnet, upgrade the Mill Hill East Tube service and build sustainable communities"

George Jones (UKIP) - "I've lived in Mill Hill for 40 years, former councillors did great work including former Tory Mayor Dennis Dipple who built  aplay area for kids. UKIP want to pu the Great back in Britain. I was in the army band and travelled all around the world and people were always very glad the British Army had saved them in the war. Governments had made pride a dirty word"

Rolf Clayon (Ind) -  "I've lived in Mill Hill for 40 years. I'm a self employed chemical engineer. I am not a politician so will look at every policy on its merits. I admire Sury Khatri and the former Lab/LD coalition in Barnet Town hall did some good things"

Then we had questions.

I asked "in light of the debacle exposed by the Audit Committee last night, where the failures of the £1 billion One Barnet Outsourcing project were exposed, what challenges do you anticipate needing to manage post One Barnet to protect taxpayers money"

There was near consensus that the One Barnet project was a bad idea and that jobs should be kept locally. Rolf explained how he'd been horrified to find Barnets binmen hadn't collected his batteries. He'd rung the Capita help line who told him, to his horror, to chuck them in the normal waste bin. He explained they were highly poison with lead and cadmium in. He suggested that this alone was grounds for escaping the contract, given that it must surely be a breach. Sury stated that if the Tories get back in, we would be stuck with One Barnet for ten years, but he hoped his colleagues would help him scrutinise the work of Capita more effectively.

Next we had a question about preserving the Green Belt. Sian suggested Labour would have an integrated planning approach. Alisdair bemoaned the awful multi story car park at St Josephs college, George expressed disgust at the loss of Pavillion Way sports ground.

The next question was on Brent Cross regeneration and its effect on Mill Hill. Andrew said the Greens opposed the plans, but as it's been passed we need better rail connections. He also said the housing should be energy efficient. George said that cheaper parking was the answer. Alisdair said shops in Mill Hill needed to develop USP's

The last question was about funding and availability of school places. George said schools had become academies to get more cash and that we need a new secondary school. Alisdair said that the Tories had been wrong to cut Mapledown Special school funding and the Lib Dems would abolish the 21p a week tax cut to fund services. Rolf said Mill Hill County High had problems with civil servants administering its finances since it became an academy. Sian talked about funding seconddary schools and the crisis this was causing. Sury stated that the Tories had created 7,000 new places but didn't know if they were primary or secondary.

All too quickly, it was all over. Some of us adjourned to the Three Hammers to set the world to rights. I had a very interesting chat with a few of the speakers, under Chatham House rules. As we were leaving, myself and the MHRA chair started devising a plan to radically improve public transport in Barnet. I suspect that if we get our way, this will lead to a far greater improvement in the quality of life of Mill Hill residents than any of the the other things we discussed. I am quite sure that we'll do all the work and someone else will get all the praise, but hey ho, I'm an engineer so I do all this for the hell of it, not the kudos. I am sure one day I'll arrive at my studios to find a blue plaque saying "This is the site of Mill Hill Music Complex Studios, which helped launch Brit Awards winners Amy Winehouse and Kate Nash. The site is just around the corner from the office of Matthew Offord MP who is responsible for the rise of many great female artists". But hey ho,that's just the way things go.

Mill Hill Residents Association meeting - All Welcome

Mill Hill Park in the Autumn sun

From Richard Logue on behalf of the Mill Hill Residents Association

The MHRA will be holding a public meeting on Tuesday night 24th September from 8pm until 9.30pm at St Paul's School on the Ridgeway.

We have three guest speakers,

John Cox from the Brent Cross Coalition will be giving a talk on their proposals for public transport in the area.

John Dix, the blogger Mr Reasonable will be talking about One Barnet,

We finish with John Gillet from the Mill Hill Preservation Society who will be discussing the proposed Mill Hill Neighbourhood Forum.

So a pretty well packed agenda. Everyone is welcome so hope to see everyone on Tuesday!

250 people plus attend Mill Hill Residents Association Open Meeting

A wet and windy evening in Mill Hill and the committee of the newly reformed Mill Hill Resident’s Association were unsure about just how many people would turn up at their inaugural open meeting at St Pauls’ School on the Ridgeway on Tuesday 29^th January. Leaflets had been distributed and Chairman Richard Logue spent two hours on Saturday speaking to people at Waitrose supermarket, trying to garner support for the meeting, yet still the committee was slightly unprepared and very pleasantly overwhelmed by the numbers who showed up in force to hear about the Association’s plans and to air their own views and issues.

The Mill Hill Resident’s Association was first established in 1909 and served the community in an effort to help the area retain much of the charm and heritage that still exists today. Longstanding Chairlady Joan Ellis recently retired from her very active role as head of the association and has taken on the role of President, handing the baton of chairmanship to Hammers Lane resident Richard Logue. The Association has identified certain key areas for concern including specific issues such as the unpopular pay by phone parking system, the chaotic Mill Hill Circus road works, parking problems on Saracens match days, the future of Mill Hill Fire Station and the redevelopment of Inglis Barracks, together with general issues such as crime and anti-social behaviour and public transport. There were presented to an attentive audience which squeezed in to the school hall, where there was standing room only. 

Councillors John Hart and Suri Khatri were both in attendance, as were residents representing all areas of Mill Hill. During an open floor session residents expressed their concerns for the erosion of our greenbelt, for the lack of public transport to Barnet Hospital and the lack of disabled access at Mill Hill Broadway Station, not to mention the difficulty getting up two flights of stairs for the elderly and those with heavy suitcases. Other issues included concern over the ongoing uncertainty at Belmont Farm, ......

One lady suggested that the Association might also like to focus on the positive aspect of uniting the community and creating a network where we can help each other and try to be more community spirited. This was met with much approval by the committee and the room in general. Commenting on the extraordinary success of the meeting, Chairman Richard Logue said: “I think it is very significant that 250 people care sufficiently enough about Mill Hill to come out on such a dreadful night to attend this meeting and contribute to what was a very positive event. I am absolutely delighted with how the meeting went and the committee and I very much look forward to following up on the suggestions and actions we have taken away from it.”

At the end of the evening the committee received over 50 household membership applications. Annual membership has been set at £10 per household or £5 per household for over 65s.

The Association welcomes the views and concerns of residents and anyone with issues they would like explored by the Association should address them by email to: millhillresidents@gmail.com or visit the website at www.millhillresidents.org.uk

For further information please contact: Richard Logue on 07771 507325

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This blog is a press  release from the Mill Hill Residents Association