Author organises picnic protest over library closure bid (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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'Eat-in' to be staged at Ilkley library to encourage Bradford Council to re-think cuts
9:20am Tuesday 12th April 2011 in Ilkley
Martyn Bedford
An author is urging people to join a picnic protest about cuts to library services across Bradford.
Martyn Bedford will lead the ‘eat-in’ at Ilkley library on Easter Saturday as part of the campaign against the planned closure of five libraries – Addingham, Denholme, Heaton, Wilsden and Wrose – at the end of June as part of Bradford Council’s cost cutting measures.
Mr Bedford says although Ilkley library is not facing the axe, it is important for everyone in the district to support the cause. He wants people to bring their lunch to the library and borrow as many books as they are allowed, and hopes the protest will put pressure on council leaders to think again about the closures.
“Free and easy access to books affects us all because it is at the heart of any civilised culture and smaller branch libraries in particular play such a key role in their local communities,” Mr Bedford said.
“Libraries are a soft target for local authorities because they aren’t seen to be as vital as some other services. But for many people, especially young families, the unemployed and the elderly, who often can’t afford to buy books or travel easily to main libraries, the loss of a branch library would impoverish their quality of life.”
Mr Bedford, who lectures in creative writing at Leeds Trinity University College in Horsforth, has just written his sixth book, Flip, which is aimed at teenagers and has received positive reviews in the UK and America.
The author, who lives in Ilkley, is married to a librarian and says his love of reading and writing was fuelled by trips to the library at a young age.
- Read the full story in Tuesday's T&A
Comments(5)
Number Nine
says...
3:38pm Tue 12 Apr 11
John Phillips
says...
5:15pm Tue 12 Apr 11
Number Nine wrote:Sadly we have to move on; since the dawn of the internet, there's not much use for libraries these days.
Good luck to the protesters, I hope thousands turn-up. Libraries are an important part of society, you can't put a price on learning. It is no surprise that the over-privileged Tory Aristocrats want to prevent the people from having access to books.
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And I agree with 'voice of reason'; whatever happened to the (so-called) investigation re. the £50k that was spent on a corrupt cricket team?
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
10:22pm Tue 12 Apr 11
John Phillips wrote:This is what was said at the time, this is nearly 2 months ago. Meanwhile libraries and pools fall by the wayside for smaller amounts of money than what was spent on a civic receptions and a cricket match in another city.
Number Nine wrote: Good luck to the protesters, I hope thousands turn-up. Libraries are an important part of society, you can't put a price on learning. It is no surprise that the over-privileged Tory Aristocrats want to prevent the people from having access to books.Sadly we have to move on; since the dawn of the internet, there's not much use for libraries these days. . And I agree with 'voice of reason'; whatever happened to the (so-called) investigation re. the £50k that was spent on a corrupt cricket team?
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"Councillor Greenwood said he would be demanding answers on why Council taxpayers’ money was spent on the Test match.
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He said: “I haven’t seen the business case that was put at the time, which we will have to look at. But, in the circumstances which we are in, it clearly isn’t appropriate to take gambles on sporting events.
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“At some stage there was some sort of bidding process. I am not clear what that was. It was a decision taken by the previous administration.”
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Coun Greenwood added: “I will be asking for an explanation of what took place. It’s perfectly reasonable for people to ask why we did it and people should have an explanation.""
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It's quite clear now this was just to help brush it under the carpet and hope it was forgotten.
speakingof
says...
9:44am Thu 14 Apr 11
John Phillips wrote:What, so you want two-year-olds to be sitting looking at a screen even more than they are already? And you also believe that authors are happily going to waive copyright and royalties so that the internet can distribute all their works for free? The internet has changed people's reading habits, but books are still a vital part of them, and libraries make them available to all.
Number Nine wrote:Sadly we have to move on; since the dawn of the internet, there's not much use for libraries these days.
Good luck to the protesters, I hope thousands turn-up. Libraries are an important part of society, you can't put a price on learning. It is no surprise that the over-privileged Tory Aristocrats want to prevent the people from having access to books.
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And I agree with 'voice of reason'; whatever happened to the (so-called) investigation re. the £50k that was spent on a corrupt cricket team?
Thee Voice of Reason says...
1:01pm Tue 12 Apr 11
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Well was anything ever done or was it simply a soundbite to make it look like an outrage then it was swept under the carpet.
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Bingley Pool is being closed at various times to save £40k a year. The Pakistan cricket team had a civic reception which cost more than that.
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What a kick in the teeth to Bradford and it's Ratepayers.
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This is what you get when your so called local paper don't hold councillors to accounts, they simply print their empty promisies but don't hound them down to see they have kept to their word.
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So what was the result of this "investigation" into authorisation of £50k for a cricket match in Leeds?