To all those who care about the future of our Libraries, Museums and Galleries:
NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION
SATURDAY 5th
NOVEMBER
Assemble 12 noon British
Library
Between Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross stations
Public Libraries, Museums and Galleries are the lynchpin of
local communities. They offer access to learning, reading, history, art,
information, creativity and enjoyment. They are and should be trusted public
spaces for everyone.
But in
the UK since 2010 we have lost:
·
8000 paid and trained library workers
·
343 libraries (plus hundreds more handed to volunteers)
·
1 in 5 regional museums at least partly closed
We
have also seen:
- · Libraries and Museums opening hours cut
- · Budgests, education programmes and mobile/housebound/specialist services slashed
- · An escalation in commercialisation and privatisation
- · An 93% increase in the use of volunteers in libraries.
- · Income generation becoming the priority for almost 80% of Museums and Galleries.
This is a crisis that users, staff, campaigners and unions
need to unite and fight before it is too late. There have been many huge local
campaigns, but this is a national issue and that is why campaigners from all
over the country have got together to call a national demonstration to demand
that the government acts now before it is too late.
The demonstration is backed by national unions Unison,
Unite and PCS, by Jeremy Corbyn leader of the Labour Party and the Green Party
as well as writers and campaigners.
More than 300 including some of the UK’s top writers,
such as Michael Rosen, Malorie Blackman, Jackie Kay , Michael Holroyd and Alan Gibbons, have
written to Karen Bradley the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport calling
for her to intervene in this crisis.
Please can you consider the following support:
Getting your organisation to agree to support and attend the demonstration.
Organising
transport if outside London.
Organising
publicity in your area - Order publicity material or download here
Write
or video a message of support
Find us
here:
