The news that Usk Library in Monmouthshire has been
earmarked for closure may not have set the political world alight, but the
reaction to the news shows how political attitudes in this country have
shifted. It was once easy to guess where
anyone would stand on an issue such as this: Conservatives would be
sympathetic, but look at savings to tax payers; Liberals and their like would
look at alternative ways of borrowing books; Labour would be up in arms about
the idea of a municipal asset being taken away.
Sadly, this no longer seems to be the case. It appears that the official Labour stance on
the closure is to wring hands and point out that there are other
priorities. Really? I don’t want to produce a league table of
priorities and nor do I disagree that vulnerable people and health services
need their budgets protecting. What I
object to is the view that libraries are an optional extra, the froth on the
coffee of an affluent society. Libraries
have helped raise the literacy skills of families for generations, providing an
almost endless source of reading material for families who perhaps cannot
afford to purchase and keep huge numbers of books at home. From the Fabian Society to the Workers
Education Association, there has always been a strong belief in the Labour Party
that education gives people an opportunity to better themselves and improve
their situation. To see libraries as
anything other than a crucial part of the education process is just plain
wrong.
Those who think that education is only something that happens
inside schools are doing people a great disservice. Reading sparks the imagination – how many of
us have become interested in a subject and immediately wanted to find out
more? If only there was somewhere we
could go to have easy access to published materials. There’s also a strong link between reading
and spelling. If you see a word written
correctly time and time again, the likelihood is that you will be able to spell
it correctly, too. Do we want to see
this kind of self-betterment become an exclusive preserve of those who can
afford it? As for those who argue that
the internet has supplanted the need for libraries, I have simply one word:
Wikipedia. Anyone can edit it. I have an editing log in. Would you trust me to write an unbiased account
of Margaret Thatcher?
For Labour to argue that Usk Library is expendable is a
dereliction of opposition. Monmouthshire
County Council, under the Conservatives, has one of the lowest Council Tax collection rates in the country. The
equivalent of one household in every street gets away without paying. If the Council were willing to do their job
properly, we could pay for Usk Library many times over. The Conservatives and their Lib Dem partners
(yes, we have them here too) have chosen to keep an estimated £5 million pounds
in reserve. They have chosen to freeze
Council Tax. They have written off
thousands upon thousands of pounds in arrears.
A Council who chose to spend money sending staff on an away day to imagine
what ‘ordinary’ council tax payers think (I would have knocked on doors and
asked them) feels it is justified in taking away a crucial community resource.
Labour in Monmouthshire seems to be meekly accepting this
closure and plenty of other cuts the Tories are proposing. This is not a Labour opposition. It is Labour acquiescence. It’s a municipal
disgrace.
