The library at The Square New Invention will close and the service will be downgraded to a book exchange operating from a local school. That is what was agreed at Walsall’s all Tory Cabinet which met on Wednesday.

There are number of very angry people who tell us that they signed the Tory petition because they thought it would help to save New Invention Library. As it turns out it appears that instead of fighting to save our Library local Tories were actively in discussions to get the Library down graded to nothing more than a book exchange and move what was left of it to Beacon School in Davis Road!

All was revealed at Wednesday’s all Tory Cabinet meeting by a beaming Cllr Mike Bird Leader of Walsall Council and Chair of the Cabinet as he announced that they had sorted amongst other things the library issue and congratulated his Tory councillor in Willenhall North for pulling off a deal which allows the closure of the New Invention Library at The Square replacing it with a much reduced book exchange service.

Back in the autumn at the start of the so called consultation on the Tory Budget Cut proposals Cllr Bird had made it quite clear that libraries would close. A point he has reaffirmed at least once since when challenged by Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires.

Tory Cllr Harris cabinet member responsible for Libraries who was not for the first time conspicuous by his absence from Wednesday’s meeting had also said that during the consultation process that the only way that he could see going forward would be is if there were sufficient volunteers to run them as book exchanges.

Well with the help of his Willenhall North Tory councillor it would appear that Mike Bird and his cabinet have got their way. More than that they can close the current Library at The Square in New Invention thus saving a few more ££s at the expense of the local community.

But all is not lost. Cllr Mike Bird and his Tories have still to get this through the special full meeting of Walsall Council on the 25th of this month when it debates the budget for 2016/17. The Tories are a minority administration. They only have 25 of the total of 60 seats on the council. The Political make up of the Council is as follows:
•27 Labour
•25 Conservative
•3 UKIP
•3 Independent
•2 Liberal Democrat

The Tories took control of the council back in June last year thanks to the support of the three UKIP councillors and two of the Independents. The Lib Dems and Labour voted against with the other Independent Cllr Peter Smith abstaining effectively handing control to the 25 Tories by one vote.

Will the same voting patterns emerge at the budget meeting on the 25th?

That remains to be seen, I can only speak for the Liberal Democrats who will be voting against the Tory proposals and putting forward a number of amendments which will include one keeping all libraries including the one at New Invention open.

It is doubtful that Labour will do what they did last year when they were in control of the council, they did a deal with the Tories to get a modified version of their budget through for 2015/16. That leaves the spotlight on the 3 Independents and 3 UKIP members.