The Labour-run Council announced plans earlier this month to close sixteen libraries across Sheffield, triggering outcries in communities throughout the city.

Local campaigners in the Graves Park area are claiming a mixture of both joy and woe, as Woodseats library escapes Labour’s axe, following a year-long campaign by Liberal Democrats and local residents, but Greenhill and Jordanthorpe libraries are set to close.

Local Lib Dem campaigner for Graves Park ward, Steve Ayris said:

“That a  popular library like Woodseats library should even have been considered for closure in the first place is unthinkable. Local people are naturally sceptical about Labour’s U-turn over Woodseats.”

Local Graves Park campaigner, Steve Ayris (right) supporting Cllr Simon Clement-Jones and Richard Shaw outside Greenhill Library

In a heated Council debate on Wednesday 2nd October, backbench Labour councillors waved through their proposals.

Labour councillors representing nearby Beauchief & Greenhill – where Jordanthorpe and Greenhill libraries are facing closure by March next year – voted for the closure plans. Local libraries in Broomhill and Walkley wards are also set to shut under Labour’s plan.

This is despite a petition of over 13,000 people against the closures, which more and more people are signing every day.

The debate was secured by opposition Liberal Democrats who are campaigning against the plans.

Cllr David Baker, Sheffield Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Libraries, said:

“In the last few weeks, I’ve been contacted by dozens of individuals desperate to see their local library saved. They know that Labour’s plan is being driven more by political spite than by the real need to make savings.

“However, I’m still surprised that Labour councillors, who claim to represent areas where libraries are under threat – like Broomhill, Jordanthorpe, and Greenhill – couldn’t break with their party whip and support our motion opposing closures. Libraries are vital for communities; they shouldn’t be subject to petty party politics.”

Sign our petition now and help save Greenhill and Jordanthorpe libraries.