Passions run high as Northfields Library's future is discussed

About 170 people squeezed into the hall, in Northcroft Road, most to show their dismay at the idea of shutting Northfields Library, which is to be an integral part of a £2 million children's centre being built around it.

Passions ran high at the meeting last Wednesday (13), with numerous heckles and a microphone being thrown, but the police stationed outside did not need to be called upon.

Council leader Julian Bell, councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for finance, and councillor Kamaljit Dhindsa, cabinet member for customer services, urged the crowd to help come up with ways of running the service for less as they took questions from the audience.

After Mr Bell's introductory speech blaming the government's cuts of 65 million to the council budget within four years, many queried the wisdom of building a £5 million car park in Southall - pointing out it would hold about 200 cars compared to the thousands of residents who use Northfields Library and four others under threat.

One resident said: "This is about what the library has stood for for years. It's about future generations, why should they not have that facility when the rest of us have all benefited from it?"

After several people asked whether the car park should be scrapped or put on hold to save money, Mr Bell seemed to get angry, raising his voice as he said Southall had been neglected in the past, badly needed the investment and it was unhelpful to pit areas of the borough against each other.

He tried to halt the volley of criticism by pleading for suggestions how to keep the library open.

They included using ward forum money to plug the funding gap (councillors said this could not work as the money came from different pots), working with Hounslow Council and charging for lending books. A charity came forward to discuss volunteering.
Mr Bell said a coffee shop on site could generate income, or areas could be hired to businesses to hold meetings.

But the criticism continued, attacking the idea that West Ealing and Central Ealing libraries were near enough to justify Northfields's closure, saying it was too far to walk for the elderly or those with young children; it is part of the area's identity; people in the area are mostly families too busy to give up their time and any volunteers would have to be properly trained to replicate the service offered by professional librarians.

Somebody asked what would happen to the site if the library, which had a £610,000 investment just four years ago, was to close.

Mr Bell said that decision would be taken at a later date if that was to happen.