Public Meeting for Matston Library's Future

You are invited to 

A public meeting on the future of Matson Library

Monday 16th January 7 pm

St Hilda's Hall, Redwell Road 

(Parking at the Redwell Centre if needed) 

Agenda: Gloucestershire County Council's New Proposals for the library

The meeting is not only for Matson residents but for anyone who cares about the future of Matson library. The Council will be publishing there draft proposals on or before the date of the meeting before they go to the council cabinet on 20th January then public consultation on 1st February (ish). It is vital that we let them know our views before it goes to the cabinet.

This meeting will be a safe place, among friends and neighbours, to listen to one another and work out what we think about the future of our library.

Everyone is welcome: just turn up. 

New Year and New Hopes

I'm going to be meeting with Jo Grills some time soon. I'm waiting for confirmation on that and a date. It would be good to take someone with me.

I have explained that I have no mandate but simply want a conversation and would hope for a "win-win solution" whatever that may look like.

I'd encourage readers to contact Jo personally with their views on the future of Matson Library. With the success of the judicial hearing last year we have every reason to be positive and constructive without giving away the quality of service Matson has been used to.

We have a good case for protecting Matson Library for the future but equally the Council will make some kind of cuts somewhere and somehow. So we need to be having ideas about how our library works for the future.

Matson library is already 'our library' of course because the Council is 'our Council', elected by us to serve the best interests of all kinds of people in the community and to guarantee fair and equal access to public statutary services.

Making the library a public library into a community-run library doesn't guarantee local autonomy. Everything depends of the accountability of the local group and their relationship to library users.

Anyway, please be in touch via comments or email. I will post more about that meeting when I know more.