The Labour administration doubles down on the eight closures while opposition Tories criticise impact on local people, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Oakwood Library with (inset left) Labour cabinet member Chinelo Anyanwu and (inset right) Conservative councillor Edward Smith

Enfield Council will proceed with plans to close eight libraries after a ‘call-in’ by opposition councillors failed to force a rethink of the proposal.

The call-in related to recent plans put forward by the Labour administration to close Bullsmoor, Enfield Highway, Enfield Island Village, Bowes Road, Southgate, Winchmore Hill, Oakwood, and John Jackson libraries, which would see the number of council-run libraries in the borough fall from 16 to eight.

The plans are included in phase two of a consultation on the council’s new libraries strategy, which will now proceed this autumn after Conservative councillors unsuccessfully challenged the proposal at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting yesterday (Wednesday 14th), with a number of residents watching on.

Call-in lead and Conservative councillor Edward Smith explained the reasons for questioning the plans and started by quoting from the Enfield Poverty and Inequality Report published by the council in October 2022.

“One of the statements was ‘maximise the use of libraries, mitigate overcrowding and enhance learning’,” said Cllr Smith.

“Another was ‘further promote and develop libraries as a key resource for children and young people across the borough in the onset of the pandemic’.

“A very commendable aim everyone will agree, [but] it’s a pity the administration has forgotten its earlier promises in regards to the library service, which is not going to be developed further but now faces being reduced significantly.”

Chinelo Anyanwu, Labour’s cabinet member for environment, culture, and public spaces, defended the library strategy.

She said: “The proposed closures of eight libraries is informed by analysis on the use of the libraries, the needs of the community in different parts of the borough, the accessibility of the library building, feedback from the first phase of engagement from stakeholders, and the operation and maintenance cost of each library building.”

She cited the analysis officers had done, and the needs of individuals, as further reasons the decision couldn’t be just “based on numbers”.

Conservative councillor Michael Rye asked if the council had statistics on the amount of people who used multiple libraries, including one of the eight set to close. If users surveyed said that they had an alternative library they used and could fall back on this it “would actually help your case,” he said.

A council officer responded: “We had over a thousand responses from stakeholders and one of the key questions was asking respondents what libraries they used.

“We know that 85% of visits are to the eight libraries that we’ve proposed to retain and 78% of active users use their library card at those eight libraries proposed to remain open.”

Conservative councillor James Hockney asked about the groups most likely to be disproportionately impacted, such as the “disabled people, elderly people, and families” mentioned in the libraries report.

The officer said the council understood this and had proposed “mitigations”, adding that the consultation process was important in understanding ways to combat issues.

They said: “We have identified potential mitigations for that impact, such as alternatively using the retained eight libraries. We will update the website with information on travel and car parking arrangements.”

They added that Enfield residents could also use libraries in other boroughs, including Waltham Forest and Haringey.

If users cannot get to a local library, there is a home delivery service option where books and other various library materials can be sent to residents’ homes.

Following the discussion, councillors voted along party lines with five Labour members choosing to “take no further action” and four Tories to “refer the decision back to the cabinet member”. It means the consultation will now go ahead.

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