Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Marcus Garvey library: loss of space is disputed
Council Cabinet Member for Resources & Culture claims loss = 0%
Haringey Council Leader claims loss = 20%
Liberal Democrat spokesman on Libraries (me)
estimate Overall loss = 50%
estimate re. Young Adults, Childrens'
Library and Childrens' Garden area, alone loss = 75%
Does the area of the current, safe enclosed Childrens Garden not represent an "activity" that would be lost? Under the plans, It would become the main entrance for the new Council Customer Service Centre and a North-South thoroughfare to and from the Leisure Centre.
The above graphic shows the proposed new back door or 'poor door'.
It'd likely be heavily trafficked and it's right alongside the proposed Childrens' Library. What remains of the current area for children, would hold rows of PCs plus a single bookcase (can you spot it?) and it's being passed off as a 'Childrens Library'.
- The upper floor would house no books. One part would become a shrunken, cramped "quiet area", that is unlikely to be quiet, given the adjacent activities, that include a "Children's Play Area" of 16.1 square metres. You couldn't make it up!
- The ground floor would be dominated by rows of PCs (there do appear to be a small number of bookcases, towering three shelves in height). Another quiet study area would be adjacent to two parking ticket vending machines (!?)
One can imagine the scene: "Damn it Sharon, it's still not accepting my money". "Hurry up, there's people queuing Tracy. Hit it on the side again!" I made that up, but Haringey's plans are real.
Clive Carter
Councillor
Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Libraries
Tags for Forum Posts: Labour Cabinet, Marcus Garvey Library, another fine mess, arrogance, folly, ignorance, illiterate, incompetence, mistake, muck up
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Maybe, just maybe, they will have learned from this fiasco. The bad PR they have got has been consistent from day one. I know they don't care about us, but they do care about their reputations, and their extra allowances.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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I belatedly spotted your comment, Pam. From your own contacts is there any indication that "they" have learned anything at all? By which I include both Cllr Claire Kober's courtiers and hangers-on; and the sceptics among Labour councillors who know right from wrong but choose to stay publicly silent.
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For comparison, Leytonstone Library has just reopened after a year-long refurbishment.
It's a grade11 listed building so couldn't be just bashed about. I guess that Waltham Forest does not have the amalgamation plans of LBH, as this remains a proper library.
Note from earlier articles there, that there was some provision for dropping off books, and ordering books to be brought to a nearby hall, throughout the work.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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A Freedom of Information answer by LBH discloses that the floor space known as Marcus Garvey "Library" is rented at a cost to the Council of £66,500. This covers the provision of certain defined services.
In the past the space has been rented from Fusion Lifestyle for the purpose of providing exclusively library services.
It's now clear why the outdoor signage casts "Marcus Garvey Library" so minor and secondary: it reflects ownership and the commercial arrangement. By extension, it also shows the level of the Council's commitment to the Library Service.
The "refurbishment" area is currently closed for half a year.
The claim in Haringey People magazine, that the £3 million refurbishment will "create a … more spacious looking layout" is 100% misleading if not downright untrue. The slippery, deceitful clause is "looking".
The floor space available to the library service at this location is set to be halved, approximately.
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Permalink Reply by matthew cuthbert on
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After visiting Wood Green Library it seems that the Library will be consolidated, to half the total space to allow community services to move in. Is the council selling off the Wood Green, Station Road building used for customer services? I guess the yield from that sale will provide the money to relocate and remodel the library/ies, plus the restructuring programme that has shed so many members of staff who have served our community so well over the years, (in corporate terms,) reducing the councils wage bill, but is this false economy serving our community effectively?
Many will find that where officers knew their roles so well, knew all the stakeholders and staff members to action on any issue within their department, (or area of expertise,) that though staff are ploughing on, are still stifled by demoralising job insecurity, or now in a different department, realing from the steadfast way in which the shredding of expertise, has left staff members shell shocked. Even the expensive new Haringey 'sticking plaster' branding does not exude confidence. Did council workers pain pay for this vanity project as well?
In an atmosphere of severe austerity £3 million for 'refurbishment' seems an extravagence, where is this money coming from?
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Sign the petition and join on the Friends of Marcus Garvey Facebook page now folks.
https://www.change.org/p/tell-haringey-council-to-save-tottenham-s-...
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1552265978362877
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The £3m cost (it will be more...) is meant to be coming from the £3.4million Grainger the developer will pay for the land at Apex House. Now other estimates say that nearly half a hectare of brownfield land on top of Seven Sisters station, 13 minutes from Oxford Circus, is worth a lot more than that on the free market. But this secret deal went though at bargain rates because Grainger has the council in a headlock because of their ongoing lust for the Wards Corner site and the secret deals there.
Is it true that the Wood Green library is also losing half its space? Cllr Arthur (among others) claimed to start with that there would be no loss of library space at Marcus Garvey library - just some shuffling of shelves. Then it became 20%, now it's clear that a whole floor ie 50% will be lost.
This whole cock-up is getting worse and worse. But the spin is still that they are improving the libraries, by adding 'services' to the books and PC access, ie endless streams of people needing housing and advice. How stupid do they think we are?
MGL is still closed, Tottenham has lost its main library for at least six months. The staff coming back will have to reapply for their jobs, and they are to become 'customer advisors' ie library skills are irrelevant, according to this bunch of book-burners.
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Mathew, the difficulties faced by MGL users are simply the latest in a chain of mistakes by the Labour-run Council, roughly beginning some years ago at Wards Corner. One poor decision begats another and then another.
One of the items of co-lateral damage is the decimation of the Marcus Garvey Children's Library and their garden. But it's spun – with tax money – by Haringey People magazine as "refurbishment".
Over many years, the biggest mistakes by the local authority appear to be concentrated in a relatively small area of the Borough. How do they manage to get it so wrong?
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Claire Kober was showing developers around Wood Green library before the election last year.
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THE latest set of plans have been published and they go before the Planning Committee on the 9th.
I will not be participating in that decision.
Instead, I will be one of the Objectors.
Meanwhile, the Friends of Marcus Garvey Library have published a video about the proposals on youtube.
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Alan,
Sorry about that: the original 5.3mb file that I had tried to upload has now gone on a diet and has now successfully uploaded.
The Design Brief was obtained by The Friends of Marcus Garvey Library through WhatDoTheyKnowDotCom.
It's titled, Apex House Service Relocation brief and is dated September 2014.
It was made available today.
- Attachments:
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Thanks, Clive. Some evening homework. And my thanks also for publicising the video. Can I invite HoL readers to tweet the link to their friends.
Of course we all understand the financial pressures faced by Haringey and other councils. But that is no justification for our Council - apparently without any shame - to spin the decision as "refurbishment" of the library. I truly begin to wonder whether the decision takers now believe their own propaganda.I'm pleased as well, that the Friends Group has used the Freedom of Information Act to get the Design Brief into the Public Domain. It's possible that one day in the future, instead of KoberTories we could have an open, properly accountable, democratic council which puts all such contentious documents online automatically without having to be asked.
(Link to my political declaration on this page.)
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