Vote Library!

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The Walthamstow Cinema campaign recently published a list detailing the views of all candidates & councillors on the EMD.  Anyone who wants a cinema in E17 should visit here and vote accordingly (in short most MP’s in favour,  Labour councillors want EMD building restored but not necessarily as a cinema, All High Street Lib Dems for).

Now, the “St. James Street Library Campaign” have listed their dealings with and the positions of councillors on the reopening of St James Street as a community facility for all.

So please read what the campaign has to say below and – Vote Library!
Then keep an eye to see if they keep their promises after May the 6th.

The St James Street Library Campaign is urging supporters to vote for the candidates, in this week’s council elections, who are most likely to reopen the building.
The campaigners asked for the views of candidates standing for council (not those standing for parliament, who have no influence over the council’s decisions.)

LABOUR:
The Labour group admits it is considering selling the building to developers. This would kill off any chance of bringing it back into use as a community facility. Candidates, Liquat Ali, Clare Coghill and Steve Terry – say that they would like to reopen the building, but that the Labour group is also considering selling it to developers.

MICHAEL GOLD (pictured far right) + GREENS:
Michael Gold (Independent) is a long-time supporter of the library campaign. Along with Green candidates Anna Lindstrom and Kuan Phillips, he pledges to reopen St James Street Library and to stop the sale of libraries and other assets.

CONSERVATIVES:
The Conservatives also pledge to reopen the library if possible, and have held this position for years.

LIB DEMS:
Cllr James O’Rourke (Lib Dem) helped St James Street Library Campaign get started and has spoken against its closure. Other than that, we have had plenty of words but very little action from the Lib Dems. The Lib Dem group voted with Labour to close the library in the first place, but now says “we would like to see the former Library being used as a community facility”.

ELSEWHERE IN E17
St James Library campaign Supporters in other parts of the borough have a chance to vote for Martin Duncan-Jones (Independent, Forest ward), who has campaigned on local issues for years and given a lot of practical help to SJSLC. Former Lib Dem leader John Macklin, who had pledged support for the library, is now standing as an independent in Chapel End ward.

“Better late than never” says the campaign, stressing that it will be happy to work with anyone who supports its aims of reopening the building, in Coppermill Lane, either as a library or as a community centre including a library.

Join: The St James Street Library Campaign on Facebook or Twitter (and while youre at it join BAG there too!)

Also see The Yellow Advertiser article about the Library campaign – The Library cost £70,000 a year to run.

PICTURES INSIDE THE BUILDING:
On the 23rd of April residents and campaigners finally got to see inside the closed library building, last month marked three years since it was abruptly shut. The visit was organised by local Lib Dem councillors, and other councillors and candidates, and WF Guardian also managed to get wind of the visit too (Read article here).
Very interesting to see inside, and huge too. All community needs could be met by this space.

Background:
The much loved St James Street library was closed suddenly in April 2007, to the surprise and anger of residents. It was a vital resource for the community; somewhere for older people to go, a place for kids to do their homework and for others, simply to borrow books.
Local residents formed the campaign to get the library re-opened, and have been persisent and downright dogged in their campaign to stop the building being sold.
Get behind the campaign and support the bid to give the building back to the community to be run as a community centre.