Petition to “Save Southchurch Library” is out and already passed the magic 100 signatures. I believe moving the provision into Southend Adult College is not the same, and here’s why.

Cllr Cowan’s dream of building 10,000 houses on green belt land by Bournes Green Chase was, by a lot of luck, defeated after the New Towns Taskforce went with a different set of locations across the country. That’s not to say all those gave up their time to fight against him counts for nothing - who knows what impact we may have had in the decision?

Cllr James Moyies’ motion at council will hopefully prevent any such outrageous irresponsibility be allowed again, but where there’s a thirst for destroying the green belt, I fear a way will always be found.

With the proverbial ink yet to dry, a new proposal of 2000 houses has been put forward for that site and so the problem still remains, which is the Greenbelters exist!

I am still campaigning about this until we defeat it, but my attention has now also been taken up by another one of Cllr Cowan’s controversial decisions, that of closing Southchurch Library.

Qualified Surveyor

I have already written several blogs about this closure, so I won’t repeat anything here. What has come out, after much barracking over a few days of social media exchanges (you’d think we’ve all got better things to do), is that Cllr Dent has indirectly implied a qualified surveyor has not been in the building and conducted an inspection, this despite him saying in his own announcement defending their plans “the building that hosts Southchurch Library is at the end of its life and needs replacing.”

On a seperate point, I find it so slippery the way he said “hosts” Southchurch Library - sophistry at its best!

The exchange, below, tells the story. It is taken from a longer social media exchange where a resident offered to repair the building if we could get funds for the materials. He quoted around £3.5K incidentally! I know it doesn’t work like this, but.

Cllr Dent will have to correct me if I have incorrectly drawn the wrong conclusion, but why would the Councillor with responsibility for libraries say “it would have to be based on an actual survey by an actual qualified surveyor” if he knew one had already taken place?

He is very well informed on council matters so it is perfectly reasonable to assume he knows whether one has or hasn’t. If one has been carried out, why not simply state that I was outright wrong according to the qualified surveyor. He hasn’t and nor has Cllr Cowan.

As it happens he subsequently said a report from 2023 exists. If that is the report the “beyond repair” conclusion came from then that was almost three years ago. If it’s that bad how is it that nothing has been done since? It suggests there are serious safety issues with the building, yet children visit there every day. Nothing is quite adding up and yes, all this sounds a bit Scooby Doo, I know!

Crowd-funder

I am still keen to start a crowd-funder to pay for the repairs, so the question is whether residents would be willing to donate despite not knowing whether a qualified surveyor would condemn the building?

In the case they said it really was “beyond repair” then I think as long as everyone could get a refund then perhaps it’s worth doing.

Why Southchurch Library is more than just a service provision

I am proud of the so far 220 residents who have already signed the petition to stop the closure. They me, like me, recognise that Southchurch Library is much more than a building for many reasons.

It’s location is very convenient for many people. It is by bus stops, taxi ranks, easy to walk to and is safe. 

It is visual so everyone knows there is a library there should they ever need to use it. 

The space itself is used for children’s reading groups and schools and acts much more as a social hub than a space in Southend Adult College could - with all due respect to the college. Having paid a quick visit, for someone who has never been there, it certainly wouldn’t be obvious where the entrance was! It is gated and uninviting to people who may become intimidated by such things. You would need to get past security to get inside.  And the library’s atmosphere would change to a place of study rather than as a community hub. 

When Southend Library closed and the provision moved to the Forum, I stopped going completely. I perceive it to be a student’s place of study rather than a local library. I wonder how many residents feel the same.

In the end, if the provision moves to the college visitor numbers will drop to such low levels that the cost will not be justified and I foresee it will fade out of existence, under the radar.

Broken manifesto promise - does it matter?

Am I “scaremongering” and/or “lying”? Or just “dumb”. All the suggestions from Cllr Dent and some of his most ardent followers.  With hand-on-heart, I was just surprised to hear Cllr Cowan at the Policy and resources meeting say what he said, and I instinctively felt it wasn’t right.

I believe he has broken his manifesto pledge - and he only had five!  His saving grace is although this is a clear breach of trust, very few residents will even know this was in his five point manifesto and may not really care. 

Furthermore, breaking manifesto pledges is nothing new so it is hardly a shock!  Still, Mr Cowan will know some will mind and will lose votes for it, which is why they have launched the age-old accuse the other side of what you are doing yourself i.e. lie.

He defends his position by saying the service provision still exists so there has been no closure.  Yet, his manifesto pledge was “to keep libraries open”.  It was never about the provision - it was about the library, which implies the buildings where they are, as they are.

Anyone outside of the rose-tinted few can see the difference.

It is clear political spin and a line used by many councils up and down the country.

Petition

If you want to keep Southchurch Library as it is then please sign the petition: https://democracy.southend.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?Id=124

We have already passed the 100 signatures needed to be considered by Cabinet and when they do so, Cllr Cowan will no doubt dismiss it and give it not a second longer than he has to. 

By then the FOI should have come out to confirm whether the building is “beyond repair”.

Given Cllr Dent has implied no such qualified surveyor has conducted an inspection, I cannot see how any such report exists. Let’s for one moment take their word for it, the question then is whether we’d like it rebuilt?

And for me, it would be categoric yes.