Protest at Lambeth's 'Co-operative Council' proposal

http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/News.cfm?id=33383&headline=%E2%80%98Keep%20playgrounds%20in%20town%20hall%20hands%E2%80%99

"CAMPAIGNERS descended on a town hall to protest against outsourcing public services including kids’ play areas, libraries and one o’clock clubs."

"Discussion on the outsourcing issue was dropped from the agenda because of the controversy. The protest was organised after last month’s revelation that Lambeth Play Association (LPA) - a private company contracted to run children’s adventure playgrounds - had breached the terms of its contract."

"Libraries will now be run as “community hubs” with services shared between the borough’s nine sites. "   "But opponents of the plan believe it will mean fewer staff and books available."

"Council leader Steve Reed has defended the “co-operative council” model."

Council plans to privatise libraries are rejected as “lazy” - InsideCroydon - 09/08/2012

http://insidecroydon.com/2012/08/09/council-plans-to-privatise-libraries-are-rejected-as-lazy/

"The opposition group on Croydon Council has threatened to torpedo the on-going privatisation of the borough’s library service by refusing to commit to continue working with any outside organisations which may win the year-long bidding process to take on the running of libraries in Croydon and Wandsworth."
"Councillor Timothy Godfrey, Croydon Labour’s spokesman on libraries, has rejected the council’s costly outsourcing procurement process, saying, “Privatisation is simply a lazy approach.”

Don't you just love Labour's consistency on these matters, while i welcome their stance in Croydon it seems very odd in light of what their compatriots are proposing in Harrow!

Also it appears that Croydon Labour are proposing the same cooperative libraries vision that Lambeth are so keen on, which has drawn opposition from local campaigners.