‘If we lose Bristol’s libraries now, we will never get them back’

With decision day looming over the future of Bristol’s libraries, the council is facing increasingly impassioned pleas not to destroy a vital service.

Mayor Marvin Rees came under fire from a cross-party group of councillors and stood accused of “deliberately inflicting pain” on the city at a packed meeting on Tuesday (November 14).

He would go down in history as the “book butcher of Bristol” if his administration goes ahead with the proposed cuts which could see more than half of the libraries close, warned one councillor.

Will Marvin Rees go down in history as the ‘book butcher of Bristol’?

Cries of “shame on Bristol Labour” punctuated a packed full council meeting at City Hall which saw people of all ages and all neighbourhoods unite in the fight to save the libraries that act as a vital lifeline for many.

The historic Redland Library is among those threatened with closure

“I meet people who not only value libraries, but need them,” library campaigner Lloyd Roberts told the council. “Mums and toddlers, the elderly to combat loneliness, the unemployed who rely on libraries to access the state system, the homeless.”

His words echoed many others, as people from across the city told stories of the vital role libraries play in communities – providing the only access to computers, books, newspapers, a sense of communities and source of warmth for many.

Ten year old Stephen Finch received a roar of applause as he stood to make the case for his local library, Sea Mills.

Proposals that could see 17 of the city’s 27 libraries lose all council funds in a bid to save £1.4m met with a groundswell of opposition, campaigns were launched and some 15,000 people have signed petitions against the regime of cuts.

A motion to re-examine the plans and instead work on an alternative, volunteer-supported model that would protect the future of the service was narrowly passed at Tuesday’s meeting by a margin of just one vote.

Anthony Negus slammed the ‘slash and burn’ consultation

This followed an impassioned plea from Lib Dem Anthony Negus to his Labour colleagues.

“We have only one chance to get this right. If we lose the libraries now, we will never get them back,” said the councillor for Cotham.

He was scathing about the council’s “slash and burn” consultation and begged Labour councillors to defy the party line and back the motion which calls on the mayor to consider new proposals and protect the future of the library service.

“Some of you still have some fire in your belly and will stand up to what I believe is a three-line party whip. This is too important for this silliness,” urged Negus.

Clive Stevens, pictured with fellow Bristol Green Group member Carla Denyer, joined colleagues in calling on the council to save the city’s libraries

Clive Stevens, Green councillor for Clifton Down, joined calls for the council to reconsider the regime of cuts, saying: “Do not do irreversible damage now. Stop panicking, we need time to find ideas and solutions.”

While Tory John Goulandris, a councillor for Stoke Bishop, went one further, saying: “It’s almost as if the mayor wants to inflict pain on Bristol. Do not play the victim card with our libraries. I’m sure the mayor does not want to go down in history as the book butcher of Bristol.”

Labour councillors agreed that libraries have a vital role to play in society, but said they were stuck with impossible choices to make as they placed the blame firmly in the hands of the Tory Government’s austerity agenda.

Asher Craig stressed that no decisions have been made yet

“We may have a Labour administration but it’s a Labour council that has to work under a Tory Government,” argued deputy mayor Asher Craig.

“I really appreciate and value how much local communities value their libraries. I have been quite surprised by the extent and range of proposals that have come in from across the city.

“The decisions have yet to be made and we appreciate how much it means to local communities.”

The motion to reconsider proposals and protect the future of Bristol’s libraries was passed with 32 councillors voting for it, 31 against and six abstained.

The final decision on the proposed cuts is due to be made in December.

Read more: ‘Libraries are the lifeblood of our communities’