Heathfield Ward councillor votes against library (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Heathfield Ward councillor votes against library

March 13, 2011 10:10 AM

• [Mar 04]: THE Conservative councillor for Heathfield Ward, Alan Butler, voted with his party colleagues this week against a Liberal Democrat resolution to keep Heathfield Library open, despite previously attending protest rallies against the library closure, due on 17th March. Liberal Democrat councillors proposed a resolution at Tuesday's Council meeting to reinstate the original plan to re-located the library to the Heathfield Junior School site when the current building is cleared to make way for a new NHS clinic.

Cllr John Coombs Liberal Democrat councillor for Heathfield Ward John Coombs, who supported the resolution, said: "I was shocked that Alan Butler didn't vote to rescue our local library, given all the things he has said in the past. The Council is receiving £750,000 from the NHS for the land where the library now stands and £400,000 was always earmarked for a replacement library at Heathfield School, plans for which were well advanced before the election last May. At Tuesday's Council meeting the Tories made great play of listening to the people to justify pouring money into their pot-hole fund.

They claimed they were responding to the results of the 'All in one' consultation in which every household in the borough received a leaflet asking for residents views. What the Tories failed to say is that libraries were more popular than pot-holes in the All in one survey. They only listen to the borough residents when it suits them and continue to ignore the real wishes of people living in the Whitton area."

• Campaigners head to Heathfield for national 'Save Our Libraries Day' [Feb 05]

• UPDATE: Shhh to Shut - Heathfield Library Closing [Twickerati Mar 11]

• New Heathfield library hours under fire [RTT Mar 13]