Library Campaigners Head To Westminster Tomorrow

Tomorrow (Tuesday 13th) will see campaigners from around the country descend on Westminster as Culture Minister Ed Vaizey gives evidence to the Culture, Sport and Media Select Committee.

No Cuts DemoSpeak Up for Libraries coalition, supported by the Campaign for the Book, will be holding a rally and lobby of Parliament in support of the public library service.

Hundreds of libraries around the country face the withdrawal of local authority funding, with full time library staff being made redundant at what Campaign for the Book say is a worrying rate.

Annie Mauger, chief executive of Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), put the figure of jobs lost at 20% of the total.

Many speakers confirmed
Among the speakers confirmed for the rally are Kate Mosse, author, Dan Jarvis MP, Shadow Culture Minister, Ruth Bond (National Federation of Women’s Institutes), Dave Prentis (Unison), Mar Dixon, Andrew Coburn and Laura Swaffield (The Library Campaign), Alan Gibbons (Campaign for the Book).

The rally will take place from 11.30am at Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, Westminster, London SW1H 9NH.

The lobby of Parliament will start at 2.30pm.