New proposals to secure future of Barons Court Library
Monday November 14, 2011
Exciting proposals to secure the future of Barons Court Library have been announced by Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council.
The council is set to team up with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) who will move into the building in April 2012 and run their advice and information services alongside the library.
The new facility will be known as the Avonmore Library and Neighbourhood Centre. If the plans are approved by Cabinet on December 5, CAB will manage and train local volunteers to run the self-serve library. In addition, The Urban Partnership Group will run parent and child sessions at the new centre.
The council will also be spending almost £400,000 refurbishing the building and installing the library self service machine. Repairs will be made to the roof, wheelchair accessibility will be improved and new toilets installed along with greatly improved energy efficient lighting and improved heating. The library will close in January 2012 so that these improvements can be carried out.
The council will also be buying new books and retaining public access computers with internet. Newspapers and magazines will also be available. By sharing space with CAB and installing self service terminals, the council will be saving £195,000 a year.
Barons Court Library was earmarked for closure last year as the council looked for ways to reduce its historic debt. The library was the second worst performing facility in the borough, with the second lowest number of visits, visits per hour of opening and second highest costs per issue and visit
However, it quickly became apparent that there was a body of local people who would like to become more involved with the day-to-day running of the library and the council vowed to see if the library could be saved.
The new library will follow in the footsteps of the hugely popular Shepherds Bush Library at Westfield which was promoted as ‘More than a Library’ because it offers residents a variety of services under one roof.
The CAB have also outgrown their current Mund Street officers and the move will enable them to provide a greatly enhanced service to local residents. The co-location of a CAB with a library is a tried and tested approach, which is working extremely well in many other locations in London and across the UK.
Cllr Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said: “If this proposal is agreed, it will be wonderful news for local residents. Across the country, local authorities are closing their libraries in order to make ends meet. However, our innovative plan revitalises an underused facility, secures the future of this service while delivering a large cash saving by reducing our overheads.
“When money is tight some organisation’s first reaction is to slash services and try to shift the blame. Others think innovatively and develop solutions that save money and improve services so they are more accessible and convenient for residents.
“This really does embody what the Big Society is all about and we look forward to the library entering into a new era of stability and prosperity with the building used to its full potential. We shall be working closely with local residents and gaining their invaluable input as these proposals develop.”
Hugh Macmillan, Chair of Hammersmith & Fulham CAB, said: "We hope that this proposal will come to fruition and will be welcomed by the local community. The new library will be staffed by volunteers co-ordinated by CAB staff. We shall be looking for more volunteers from the immediate neighbourhood to join our existing team of staff and volunteers.
"The CAB will be sad to leave Mund Street which has been our advice centre for a very long time. However, the building in Mund St is nearing the end of its life and is on the edge of the major proposed Earls Court development. Our move to the Avonmore Library and Neighbourhood Centre will allow us to continue our service to clients in this part of the borough.
"The plans for the Avonmore centre are not yet finalised; we are working with the council to achieve this in the next few weeks."
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has an excellent track record when it comes to protecting libraries from budget cuts. The council recently announced innovative plans to combine library services with Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This move will save taxpayers more than £1million a year and ensuring all of 21 public libraries across the three boroughs remain safe from closure.
The council will also be opening the new Sands End community library based within Hurlingham and Chelsea School in the new year.
