Swindon Tories Fantastic Fiction Suppressed Staff Plan Plot Line Shock Reveal

The public meeting on the cuts to Swindon's Libraries saw the 'one library' and '4 library' plans kicked into a cocked-hat by the Swindon Borough Council libraries staff's own proposal.

The dictatorial 'we can only afford one library and you should be happy with that' option that's being offered around by Swindon's Tories like a mouldy sandwich is insulting and, arguably, barely legal when seen in the light of the Act that covers library provision.

The slightly less hard option of keeping four libraries in geographically spread-out areas of town makes much more sense.

However this still did make no mention of the vast elephant in the room, no library in east Swindon. The catchment area that Park Library serves is one of the most deprived in Swindon.

Went unchallenged, the one library and four library plan would have left Parks with no library in the area of town that needs it far more than anywhere else. This would have been a national disgrace.

However details of a Swindon Libraries staff proposal came out at the public meeting last night, that includes a library in Park North, and better hours than proposed in the one library and four libraries options.

At last, a glimmer of hope and sense. It's interesting that this proposal to include Park Library and better hours at the other remaining 4 (plus other bits, including a pause in imposing covering the cost of the business rates for the remaining libraries fully onto Swindon Libraries) has come from the library staff themselves.

You'd think that defending the interests of the elderly, the vulnerable, the poor, the jobless, the disabled, indeed the People of Swindon, would be carried out by the councillors of Swindon.

Instead it's being done by brow-beated Swindon Libraries staff, as Swindon's Tory councillors seem to have got their nose stuck in their fantasy novel where private companies run everything, pay for everything and all the poor people have vanished.

There has been no comment from SBC on the staff proposal, or indeed on the claims they have been sat on the staff proposal and not making it public whilst a public consultation is underway.

What a cliffhanger.