Brent council officials assent to discuss campaigners’ proposal of running library at no ongoing cost to community authorityA historic library threatened with closure could survive as a community-run project on the basis of a tentative deal that has emerged just days after council workers backed by police carried outside an early morning operation to strip it of its books and the plaque commemorating its opening 112 years ago by Mark Twain.The leader of Brent council in north London said they had agreed to sit down with community human beings who have been campaigning to save Kensal Rise library for more than a year and employment with them over their proposal to run it at no ongoing cost to the community authority.The plot is also dependent on an arrangement being reached with All Souls College Oxford, which owns the library.Community campaigners, who have been backed by writers such as Philip Pullman and Zadie Smith, were alerted in the middle of the night this week that Brent council workers were stripping it of books, furniture and other items.The go follows the council’s failed attempt to clear the library earlier at the end month, when they were stopped from removing books by protesters. On Monday morning, between 2am and 3am, when most human beings were asleep, Brent council sent in a team to remove thousands of books in cardboard boxes.Muhammed Butt, the council’s leader, said the choice to remove the books was made before he took over his advertise in May however that he was determined to establish a fresh dialogue with the community in Kensal Rise.”That does not mean I can offer an simple solution. Our libraries have to bear a share of spending cuts, and I constitute no apology for that. The deep reductions of over £100m in Brent’s budget imposed by this Tory-led administration mean we have to constitute dense choices about all our services,” he said.Butt said he had instructed council officers to prepare a package of support to aid with the transition of the library into a community-run project, including technical support and funding.The development was welcomed by Dan Jarvis, the shadow culture minister, who added: “It is not an simple path outside – it puts a excellent deal of responsibility on the shoulders of the campaigners and there are a number of issues that will demand to be worked through before a final agreement can be reached.”LibrariesLondonLocal governmentBen Quinnguardian.co.uk © 2012 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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