Save West Ealing Library

Seven of Ealing's libraries are threatened with closure.Join the campaign to keep our libraries open and operated by the Council.

West Ealing Neighbours is supporting the campaign to save all 7 Ealing libraries and protect our own vital community resource. Please add your signature below to call on Ealing Council to abandon its plans to cut the funding to West Ealing Library

West Ealing Library:
• is the busiest of all the branch libraries.
• is fully accessible to all and provides a social environment that brings communities together, enhancing understanding and helping combat isolation.
• is located in the heart of West Ealing – drawing people to our neighbourhood centre – benefitting shops, restaurants and other local businesses.

Ealing council is proposing to cut funding for seven out of 13 libraries in the borough. It has put forward the idea of Community Managed Libraries (CML). In the CML model the community charity organisation is responsible for the financing, operation and staffing of the library. If no charity groups come forward with an appropriate proposal the relevant libraries will close.

This funding cut comes despite Ealing Council’s recognition of the importance of local libraries for local school children on its own website:

“The encouragement of reading and its effect on literacy skills is well established and the borough has maintained its approach of having a local library service for all to use. Schools, for their part, encourage pupils to use the local library service.”

Other boroughs are seeking different ways to implement savings rather than lose a valuable resource used by so many in our communities, especially as libraries:

-are one of the few places people can go without having to spend money
-provide a social environment that brings communities together, enhancing understanding and helping combat isolation
-equip people for self-improvement
- provide accessible online facilities essential to those applying for benefits and jobs, searching for employment or even doing their homework.