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How to save Marksbury Road Library

Greens offer the answer

Embargoed to 00:01 on 14th January 2008

 
The threatened Marksbury Road Library in Bedminster could be saved from closure if the council drops plans to publish more 'free' newsletters.

At Tuesday's council meeting, Cath Slade of the Bristol South Green Party will present a statement calling for new plans for three extra editions of 'Bristol News' - the freesheet delivered to homes across the city - to be dropped, saving enough money to keep Marksbury Road Public Library open.

Cath, who was recently selected as the Greens' parliamentary candidate to challenge Dawn Primarolo in Bristol South, says:

"Tucked away in Labour's budget for next year is a bid to take this library away from the people of Bedminster, saving up to £110,000. Then they want to spend £106,000 delivering three extra copies of 'Bristol News' to every household."

"We think the library is much more important than extra copies of the freesheet. Decent libraries, like post offices, are vital to the vibrant communities that the council says it wants to encourage. Closure of Marksbury Road would be like writing off the people who live nearby."

"The council's own paper, Bristol News (just renamed 'Our City') is largely spin, telling us only what the council wants us to hear. For instance the budget edition doesn't mention the plan to close the library! Why should we have three extra copies next year - the three we already get should be improved, to get key information across. "

"What they're proposing, and the underhand way it's been done, is an insult to the city's residents, and to Bedminster in particular. Far better to talk with residents and library users, to find ways to help local people get more from their library."

Whether councillors will get to vote on saving the library is still in doubt.

Cath Slade explained:
"We'd like to force a vote - but it needs at least two councillors to do that, and at present Charlie Bolton has to represent the city's Green community by himself. We do urge councillors of other parties to go along with our suggestion, to make sure people in that part of Bedminster keeps their library."

ENDS

Notes

1. Statement available as an MS Word (doc)file here


2. The 08/09 Draft Budget (a pdf file) is linked from here
   The reference to Bristol News is on page 5. Marksbury Road gets its mention on page 10.


3. Look in vain for mentions of this closure in the council's budget press release here, or in the linked edition of the 'Our City' budget special.

Contact:

Cath Slade, 0117 909 5823
Cllr Charlie Bolton, 0117 966 1639
Peter Goodwin (Green Party Press Officer) 01275 543280