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Public libraries: Andy acts at last! - Library & Information Update blog
03 April 2009

Public libraries: Andy acts at last!

Amazing! After months of (literally) furious lobbying, Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture (etc), is going to 'intervene' in Wirral. A mystery person (TBA – watch this space) will 'shortly' get the job of working out if Wirral's mass closure plans would mean the library service is no longer 'comprehensive and efficient'. As per the 1964 Act.

Andy earned himself no Brownie points at all for previous cold-sounding statements that he was 'not minded' to lift a finger. Letters demanding action poured in. As everyone said, if this case isn't worth considering – what is?

Of course, there's been a lot of lobbying behind the scenes – not least by CILIP. MLA has also (at Andy's request) been 'advising' Wirral. It has apparently concluded at last that there's a 'significant gap' in Wirral's case for closures.

Hence Andy's move. It will open up quite a can of worms. The last time anyone even tried to do this intervention thingie was in 1991. One can almost (I said almost) sympathise with Andy for trying to dodge it.

The stakes are high. Whatever happens will set a precedent for other Wirral-type battles – and there will be plenty this year. Whatever happens will, Andy says, be incorporated into his Jolly Big Review of Life, the Universe and Public Libraries in June. This is just the beginning...

 Laura Swaffield

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Comments

# Alan Gibbons, Campaign for the Book said:

I spoke at the SLG meeting this morning and there was a palpable sense of relief at Burnham's decision. As Laura says a tremendous number of people have contributed towards this: CILIP and SLA members have written to the DCMS as have authors, teachers and members of the public. The MLA have played a positive role. We shouldn't forget the magnificent public campaigning in the Wirral. 55,000 people signed petitions. Hundreds attended consultation meetings. A thousand marched. I was there that frosty day and spoke at the rally. There was also the press and media: the One Show, PM, Rachel Cooke in The Observer, John Harris in the Guardian, Joan Bakewell in the Times and a stinging editorial in the LIverpool Echo. This is the kind of campaigning we need. We should know flood the DCMS with our views and ensure a positive outcome.

05 April 2009 18:17

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