Rosie Winterton, Labour Chief Whip and MP for Doncaster Central, has lent her support to the Save Doncaster Libraries campaign:
“I am fully supportive of the campaign to save our libraries. Libraries are an essential part of the Doncaster community and play a vital role in ensuring equal access to reading and learning for all, regardless of background. This is backed up by evidence from the National Literacy Trust that reading is the best indicator of a person’s future success than any other. Doncaster needs success – Doncaster needs libraries.”
Ms. Winterton’s statement was read out last night at an anti-cuts gig at Vintage Rock Bar on St. George’s Gate, at which the Save Doncaster Libraries campaign was represented.
About time our parliamentarians got involved in the campaign to save our Libraries. We don’t expect anything from nasty Tories, but the others should be giving their full support to the campaign.
Unfortunately, beyond brief statements about how libraries are important, there’s been very little involvement indeed from any MPs. In fact, Caroline Flint has demonstrated a complete lack of understanding about the issues in Doncaster, by suggesting that community run libraries are to be promoted as the model for the future, despite a wealth of evidence to show that this is completely unfeasible in Doncaster.