BREAKING NEWS: Council u-turn will see all libraries in Northamptonshire saved from closure
ALL of the eight libraries in Northamptonshire that were destined to be closed as part of the county council’s £73 million budget saving cuts are expected to be saved from the chop.
Just after 10am on Tuesday morning, the authority published details of new plans for its budget which have been drawn up in response to public feedback for the original plans.
They said the council would reduce the libraries savings proposal by £147,000, with the result being “that no library will close at this point”.
The authority has however pointed out there will still be a “fundamental review of the library service to make it fit for the twenty-first century”.
St James resident Graham Croucher, who has been campaigning to save St James Library, which was one of those earmarked for the chop, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that common sense has prevailed.
“But the work starts now to protect the libraries in the future, because these proposals will come back then, I’m sure.”
Other libraries which will now be safe from the axe include those in Woodford Halse, Roade, Moulton, Finedon, Irchester, Danesholme and Wollaston.
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There are 41 comments to this article
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Finker
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 02:48 PMSpending £500, and saving £1000s as a result. Yeah, that is just daft.. Let the Council save £500 but cost us a few thousand in tax paid over to the other agencies, is that what you suggest. I said earlier, if a job is a waste then cut it, but don't cut the ones that actually result in a saving.
Shalom
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 11:01 AMFinker. You say investment . I say spending , and that means higher taxes. Just think councils should concentrate on their core purposes, instead of trying to save the world.
Finker
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 09:57 AM:) I agree with all of that lady muck. I make bad choices on a daily basis! I am talking about education not policing. If you know how to bake a potato and understand the effects of unhealthy eating you can then make a better choice, the evidence says many do, especially mothers. Many won't either way but you can focus efforts where it works. As to smoking I think the prolonged and high dependency illness that can result actually offsets the tax on fags, and is a greater cost to the NHS than a healthy pensioner who lives a long time then dies peacefully. Benefits due to ill health and inability to work also spring to mind for the proletariat (as you sweetly put it). Health was only one example. The worst one was a hospital about to discharge a teenager but couldn't because they were short of a £500 wheelchair, this led to longer hospital stay, it caused problems at home, they ended up having to be moved to a different house, got more financial support, and they got visits from over thirty different agencies in the end and cost something like £50k of taxpayers money. They did a number of these 'follow throughs' of real people although that was the worst. You could see exactly how it happened in the current systems. It came from a £500 'saving' but because all the follow on costs are in different organisations it is hard to pick up the actual effect. I was just suggesting that cutting budgets and being able to show savings can be a compelte nonsense, it is more joined up approaches and thinking about consequences that will really save our money. Just cutting individual budgets is totally failing to tackle the real problem. It is not simple though, the danger is too much money goes on monitoring it all and assessing the 'real impacts', and that would be just as bad. In business companies that fail go bust. We can't have the NHS go bust and just vanish so we prop it up. I susepct using lots of small charities and voluntary groups that either get results or fail is the most likely thing at the moment that might get us past the current problems. People understand making quick savings though and welcome it so it is a vote winner, that is where politics doesn't help things.
lady muck
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 09:08 PMFinker...you may be correct about the connection between healthy eating and long-term NHS savings, but there is another school of thought that consistently early deaths will save the state pension and the susceptibility of the proles to unhealthy eating, alcoholism and smoking is merely Darwinism exemplified. Another view is that we all have the right to abuse our bodies how we like without state interference.
Finker
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 08:29 AMShalom seems to miss the point that some roles are an investment, for instance the healthy eating roles actually save money on healthcare down the road - it is scary that in mondern society some people don't know how to cook a baked potato, or don't bother to find out. There have been studies that show if one agency cuts £500 it can result in many different agecnies picking up thousands of pounds of costs down the line. There needs to be much closer working to make sensible decisions rather than pass the buck. If a role is unnecessary then fine cut it, but look at the consequences carefully.
Finker
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 08:28 AMNinja, I wasn't commenting on the viewpoint but you said you didn't know WHO the count meant. I was explaining it was quite clear who he meant.
SteveRiches
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 08:52 AMClever tactic - draw the fire of public hostility toward library closures, then rescind it while hitting the most vulnerable members of society with impunity in areas which generate less publicity.
Porcupine
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 08:21 PMAlanpartridge you are correct - and it's not the first time they've done this either.
Alanpartridge
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 08:15 PMThis is political spin. They never were going to close the libraries, but by proposing it and then taking it away it makes it look like you have got something back... There real tactics will probably to cut something else at the last minute so watch out on the 24th (Full Council) when everything is finalised...
The Ninja Parade
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 07:55 PM(Back on topic...) I'd never attended a County Council meeting until today, what a fiasco. Point scoring, and bitchiness from all the major Political parties, (none of whom I'm glad to say I voted for). It's one step forward two back, praise was heaped ...on the rural (rich areas) parts of the County because the 'toffs' have raised cash to help rural libraries survive. Urban areas (poor neighbourhoods) where not even mentioned. It was completely an illustration the 'The Class System' is alive and well as ever in England in 2011, I wanted to vomit. Honestly it was like watching a scene from 'Planet Of The Apes'.
The Ninja Parade
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 07:50 PMRe; Shaloms 'AIDS Counsellors' a waste of money comment. That is the most offensive comment I've read posted. As I know several folk with AIDS and the problems they encounter, you really have NO IDEA. You try applying for jobs etc and you have to disclose that on an application form, unlike any other STD.
The Ninja Parade
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 07:47 PMthere seems to be a glitch in the system or a copy paste fanatic see 'Shalom'
The Ninja Parade
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 07:47 PMthere seems to be a glitch in the system or a copy paste fanatic see 'Shalom'
Shalom
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 06:40 PMLocal and county councils.have been on ego-tripping spending for years. Overpaid "chief executives", self styled "cabinets", massive bureaucracies. Then there were all the unnecessary non jobs, the climate change officers, the AIDS counsellors, the healthy eating coordinators , all employed on massive salaries to tell us how to live. Whilst public services that we DO value and need , wither on the vine. Worse, politically motivated Labour councils, deliberatly target the likes of Libraries etc, in order to make political capital.
Shalom
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 06:40 PMLocal and county councils.have been on ego-tripping spending for years. Overpaid "chief executives", self styled "cabinets", massive bureaucracies. Then there were all the unnecessary non jobs, the climate change officers, the AIDS counsellors, the healthy eating coordinators , all employed on massive salaries to tell us how to live. Whilst public services that we DO value and need , wither on the vine. Worse, politically motivated Labour councils, deliberatly target the likes of Libraries etc, in order to make political capital.
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