Musicians' Union joins Kidderminster Library gallery campaign (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

We might get a few quid back for our libraries if we were to cut Councillor Campion's considerable expenses which you will find on the Worcestershire County Council website.

We might also want to cut the HUGE expenses of County Councillors of Sheila and Anthony Blagg who are Tory mates of Councillor Campion and who are also banging the drum for library closures eg Bromsgrove and Catshill.

A better plan would be to drastically cut the number of county councillors who ar in total a SERIOUS drain on funds vitally needed for our public libraries.

The very councillors who are demanding huge cuts in our library services are not actually taking a cut themselves. In fact, they are raking it in. Hypocrites!

At a full county council meeting in November 2010,the following motion was proposed by some councillors: "this council wishes to cut members' allowances by 10% from April 2011...and to reduce the number of cabinet members by 10%..in recognition of the severity of budget cuts..." Though 9 councillors voted FOR this motion,the rest of the councillors voted it down,including Cllrs A.Blagg and S.Blagg.Some 59 county councillors claimed a total of £862,000 in allowances in 2010/11,an average of over £14,000 each.

I couldn't agree more about the question of local councillor's allowances. It does appear though in these times of austerity that some of our representitives see involving themselves in local politics as a curious career move; and taking a step up the social ladder ! To make cuts to frontline services, (however necessary they might be), is completely hypocritical when these people are not willing to shoulder the burden of responsibility of taking a cut from their own backpockets.

We've seen in Wyre Forest the ridiculous spending culture of it's district council. We've also seen their ignorance to calls from the IRP to take voluntary cuts from their own allowances which are already one of the largest in the midlands. Just taking these two examples into account, it appears that there really is little difference at county level either.

However, WCC have an appalling deficit that they need to bring into control. They are quite insistent of the £1.8million they seek to save from the county library service alone to help clear this deficit. WCC seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to pinpoint areas within the county library service to make considerable savings, 'The Gallery' within Kidderminster Library being just one of them.

Seriously, if WCC had proposed that 'The Gallery' should be axed, then i would be one of the people to be up in arms about it. The fact is is that 'The Gallery', (which is under the jurisdiction of WCC), has been proposed to be re-located at Kidderminster Library - and at some considerable cost. I totally understand and respect the feelings of the campaigners of 'The Gallery' - clearly it is a much loved facility; but the alternative for the future of the county library service as a whole will face a very bleak future indeed if WCC's proposals are not adhered to.

Already Councillor Campion has perfomed a mini u-turn in the original proposals directed by WCC. The decision on 'The Gallery' has been put on hold, and the plan to relocate/downgrade Bewdley Library into The Guildhall has also been put on hold.

Now for whatever reasons for Councillor Campion's decision, (and i have my own view on that), this has put immense pressure on other libraries and their communities throughout Worcestershire. WCC have made it quite clear in their agenda for the county library service, that any change from their original proposal could result in the closure of the smaller libraries throughout the county. This in itself should really be ringing alarm bells for surely obvious reasons ? ?

I am still staggered that the possible repercussions towards our libraries have been ill reported by both the media, and by the people supposedly in the know !