You can’t trust Labour on The Carnegie.

In response to requests from local Conservatives Labour have refused to commit to keeping the Carnegie Library in its current grade II listed building.

Local Conservatives first alerted residents to the threat to Carnegie Library after Labour Lambeth approved a recommendation to relocate the Library and sell off the current building for private flats. The report that Labour councillors did not want you to see can be viewed on the Council’s own website (Please click here to view the details on page 232).

Labour councilors and the local MP have tried to dismiss the threat to the library. But they have made no commitment to maintain the Carnegie Library in its current grade II listed building.

In order to get a commitment from Labour to keep the Carnegie library in its current building we wrote to the Council asking them to confirm not only that the library would stay open, but also that the library would remain in its current building. (For the full text of the letter to the Council click here).

In their response Labour have not confirmed that the Carnegie library will be kept in its current building (click here for the full text of Labour’s reply).

Labour are refusing to answer a very simple question: will the Carnegie Library be kept in its current grade II listed building?

Simply saying that the library will not “close” does not address the concerns of local residents. Labour has still not denied the plan to relocate the Carnegie and sell off the current building for private flats.

The question we are asking is simple: if Labour are committed to keeping the Carnegie in its current building why are they not able to say so? We are asking a straight forward question. Why can they not give a straightforward answer?

The only conclusion can be that Labour Councillors are considering selling off the existing library and building another one “somewhere” in Herne Hill. Local residents are fully aware that this is not the first time Labour has wanted to close the Carnegie Library.

The Carnegie Library remains under threat until the Labour Cabinet explicitly rejects the proposals to relocate the Carnegie library and states that the current building will not be sold off for private flats.

We challenge the Labour administration in Lambeth to give an unequivocal commitment to maintain the library in its current building.

Local Conservatives will continue our campaign until we get this commitment and secure the future of the Carnegie Library.