Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon Mayor Jason Perry faces backlash after allegedly misleading BBC about library closures, raising concerns over transparency in local governance.
The decision to close four libraries was based on questionable statistics that did not account for the usage of public facilities for a variety of purposes, such as senior yoga classes or private study sessions for school children.
“When we found out the library had closed, it was devastating. I feel isolated now.”
Those are the views of one Croydon resident who has been impacted by Mayor Jason Perry’s decision to close one-third of the borough’s public libraries without holding a public consultation.
In an effort to save less than £500,000 annually, the libraries in Broad Green, Bradmore Green (near Old Coulsdon), Shirley, and Sanderstead closed at the end of last year.
This move raised the potential that the library locations could be included in the council’s asset disposal plan, which is now struggling financially.
During Croydon’s year as London’s Borough of Culture, Mayor Perry’s council commissioned the expensive consultation to identify justifications for closing libraries. Irony is not allowed at Croydon Town Hall.
It was reported in 2023,
It seems highly likely that ‘reduced usage’ of the libraries will be used by Tory Mayor Jason Perry as one of the major excuses for closing a quarter of the borough’s libraries.
We might have added: “Whether it is true or not.”
By claiming low library utilization as a justification for closing when many libraries were open for less than half of the working week, Mayor Perry and his council once again gas-lighted the public they were meant to serve with the survey.
According to a BBC News story yesterday, Croydon’s lost libraries are part of 190 that have closed nationwide in the last 12 months as local governments look for ways to save costs as the cost of housing and child and adult care keeps rising.
Councils like Croydon are required by law to offer statutory services, including housing for the homeless, adult social care, and children’s services.
Additionally, public libraries are required services. However, that hasn’t stopped libraries from closing.
Councils are required to provide a public library service, but the scope of that obligation has never been established by legislation.
As a result, Croydon now has nine public libraries instead of the previous thirteen, and two of those will soon be reclassified as “hubs.”
In spite of the strong public opposition expressed in each of the borough’s four public library consultations since 2012—only Perry has proceeded with closures—Mayor Jason Perry justified the closures by stating that “less than 10% of our residents were actually visiting libraries.”
The BBC quoted Mayor Perry as saying:
“Those that were the lowest usage essentially were the ones that were then shut.”
Which is not accurate.
Bradmore Green and Sanderstead libraries had thousands more patrons than Purley, New Addington, and South Norwood libraries, according to Croydon Council’s own statistics from the consultant study cited to support the closures.
Additionally, Broad Green outperformed three other libraries—two of which are still in operation today—in terms of usage.
The numbers cited to support the closures were, at the very least, dubious, as the BBC implies.
“Documents produced by the council ahead of the closure decision highlighted that ‘active user data’ did not include visitors using the library as a study space, to use the wifi or to attend an event or group.”
The effects of the closures on former library patrons were examined in the BBC report.
Kiran Choda looks after her elderly mother full-time. According to the BBC, she saw the library as “a place of huge practical importance.”
“It opened up a whole new life for me,” said Choda, a member of the library’s now-closed poetry club. In addition to having some alone time and a little peace and quiet, the library has helped me make friends that I never would have otherwise met.
“When we found out the library had closed, it was devastating.
I do feel isolated now.”
One of the nation’s most socially impoverished neighborhoods is Broad Green. In 21st-century Britain, when even the council is pressuring citizens to do all of their business online, the library and its resources were essential.
Many families in Broad Green are too impoverished to purchase laptops or internet connection; instead, they would utilize the computers at the library to make online bill payments.
Since the library’s closing, a weekly yoga session has been moved to Croydon Voluntary Action down London Road.
The CVA building and Broad Green Library are likely only a 20-minute walk apart. According to the group’s organizer, Meera Jeyakumar, 15 to 20 of the group’s regular members no longer show up.
“I miss those people,” Jeyakumar told the BBC. “That’s the thing about the library – when it happened in the library, they all came.”
A writing club led by Chloe Smith meets at the Broad Green Library. It no longer has a regular location.
“I think the closure of Broad Green is going to have a really detrimental effect on the local area.
It is going to isolate people further because there are no other assets like the library.”
What are the concerns of local residents about the development?
Local resources like water, sewage, and roads may be strained by new housing developments, which could result in higher maintenance costs and possible service interruptions.
The effects of construction on the environment, such as pollution and disturbance of nearby ecosystems, may cause residents to worry.
Increased traffic from new residents can lead to congestion on local roads, affecting commute times and safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
Changes to the local landscape and character can be a concern, especially if the development alters the area’s aesthetic appeal or sense of community.
The introduction of new housing can have mixed effects on property values, with some residents seeing an increase and others a decrease due to changes in the community’s character or infrastructure strain.