Save Newham Libraries rally on Thursday
The Save Newham Libraries campaign group called a demonstration outside Stratford Old Town Hall in east London on Thursday.
Almost 200 people rallied to oppose the council’s £175,000 efficiency “savings” to library budgets. On top of this there are more than £101 million worth of cuts planned over the next three years across the London borough.
Andrew, who attended the protest, has lived in Newham for 23 years. He told Socialist Worker that successive governments, and over a decade of austerity, have left local libraries and services beaten to within an inch of their life.
“You can’t even call it underinvestment. It’s wilful cutting. It’s death by a thousand small cuts,” he said.
Ash and Shonagh explained that their local library had been a vital part in helping them feel a part of the community.
“It’s the first community-related place that I came to when I moved from Ireland in April last year,” Ash told Socialist Worker.
“There’s different things on every evening. It’s just nice to be able to see people from all different walks of life coming together.”
Shonagh added that she’d used the library to look for employment. “I used it for job hunting, I’d go for hours a day and it’d be somewhere I could focus.
“It’s not just a library, it’s also a community centre—you learn more about what’s going on and how to get involved in the area.”
Camden, Lambeth, Tower Hamlets and Hackney Unison union branches brought their banners to the demonstration to show solidarity. Activists from local NEU union branches and housing campaigns also joined the rally.
The millions of pounds worth of cuts to public services isn’t just happening in this one London borough. It’s a story familiar to many all across London, and up and down the country. But these cuts are not inevitable, they can be fought and defeated.
The public support for the Save Newham Libraries campaign has already forced the council to abandon plans to impose almost £500,000 worth of cuts to libraries—which would have seen library closures and reduced opening hours across the borough.
The council has shown it is threatened by the public opposition to its sweeping cuts. With their backs against the wall, they tried to weaken the campaign by coming after one of its leading trade union activists.
Connor, is a Unison rep and library worker in Newham. He was suspended from work on 18 February following his participation in the Save Newham Libraries campaign. He’s since been reinstated after nearly a thousand people signed a petition against his victimisation.
He told the crowd that the success of the campaign to stop the library cuts was due to “workers in the libraries and community members, users of the libraries, coming together and refusing to accept it”.
“We’ve shown we can win. And are we gonna stop now? No,” he said.
Areeq Chowdhury, the Green Party candidate in the upcoming elections for Newham Mayor, congratulated campaigners for what they have already achieved but urged them to fight on.
“Do not stand down until you win. Do not lose focus on what goes on in Town Hall. And do not give in to fear and intimidation. You’ve won because they know you are watching and they know you are organised,” he told the rally.
The Save Newham Libraries campaign shows that fighting back and bringing together public sector workers and the community can turn the tables. This is the kind of fightback we need, not only to keep libraries open, but to start to guarantee a future for everyone in public services.
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