Plea for Croydon council to ‘think again’ about proposed Shirley Library closure

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents have called for Croydon council to reconsider plans to close Shirley Library, claiming it would receive more footfall if it was open more often.

This comes following the news that the council could be closing three other libraries due to a post-Covid slump in visits as well as the overall costs of running all 13 libraries in the borough.

According to the council’s analysis, released at the start of the year, Shirley Library had suffered from especially low footfall in the past few years.

However, some Shirley residents believe the council has allowed the library to suffer, by limiting opening hours and failing to maintain the building’s historic façade.

The Save Our Shirley Library group was set up three weeks ago to try and force the council to reconsider its plan.

They have set up a petition, which has attracted about 1,800 signatures, and calls for the council to save what group leader Hugh Atkinson calls “the symbol of Shirley”.

Mr Atkinson said: “The library is the only place in Shirley that people can use free of charge.

“As well as being important for all kinds of things, the library is important because it makes Shirley feel like a place rather than an anonymous urban area you just drive through.

“One of the key things about Shirley, which the council itself point out, is that it has got a lot of younger families moving in as well as a lot of older residents and a lot of these people rely on the library.

“The problem for young people using the library is that it is not open at very convenient times. I was in there the other day and there were a couple of young girls in there reading books and revising for their sociology A-level.

“There’s loads of kids like that where it’s a bit too noisy for them at home and the library is a good space to study. If it was open longer, more people could use it.”

Alongside its book and computer services, the library also hosts a number of groups that serve the diverse community. These include Games Club, Knit and Natter, Poetry Group, Rhyme Time for Children and The Shared Reading led by the Reader Project.

Shirley Library is only open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-6pm. All but one of Croydon’s libraries have significantly shortened their hours of operation since the onset of Covid in 2020, this downscaling was also the result of the stringent spending constraints imposed on the borough following its bankruptcy.

The council has previously suggested that Shirley residents could use the nearby Ashburton Library if Shirley Library does end up closing. However, Mr Atkinson believes this school-based library is not a suitable alternative.

He said: “Ashburton Library is effectively part of Oasis Academy Shirley Park and it is not an easy place to get to. Shirley Library is on five different bus routes, so it’s a very easy place to get to for people.

“Shirley Library is also a beautiful art-deco building and it’s just been neglected.

“Croydon has got one of the lowest spends on libraries in London, we’re talking very small amounts of money. Last year, Croydon was the London Borough of Culture, and it seems to be making a mockery of that to close local libraries down.”

Croydon council has said the potential closure will allow it to focus on providing extended hours and better outreach services for their remaining nine centres. They also specified that six libraries (Central, Ashburton, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Selsdon and Coulsdon) could return to opening five to six days a week as a result of the changes.

A spokesman for the council said: “Library opening hours were reduced following the council’s financial collapse in April 2020. Working with our library staff, residents and partners, we carried out a thorough review of all our library services.

“The results of this will be published in September. We will continue to work with volunteers and partners to provide the best possible library service.”

Pictured top: A sign that says it all (Picture: Friends of Shirley Library)