NEWS RELEASE

I issued the following press release on 30.01.2007

MP condemns Birmingham City Council’s “disastrous” dithering on Library.

Lynne Jones MP today reacted to the news that Birmingham City Council’s Tory/Liberal Democrat leadership is considering abandoning their split site proposal for Birmingham’s new library. 

Describing the Council’s dithering as “disastrous”, Dr. Jones said:

“The Council never provided me with any evidence that their proposed two site option was any cheaper than Labour’s Eastside proposal for a prestigious new library, despite the seven letters I wrote to Mike Whitby asking him to demonstrate this.  Whilst it is good news that the penny has dropped that two sites were never the solution, it now looks as if the Council is still scraping the barrel for another alternative instead of admitting they were wrong and putting all their efforts behind the scheme that was described by independent consultants as “the only scheme that comes close to delivering the Council’s objective for a world-class resource”.  The disastrous dithering of this Council is proving to be very damaging for our City”.

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Notes to Editors:

Mike Whitby is the Conservative Leader of Birmingham City Council.

Labour’s proposal for a prestigious new library building at Eastside designed by Lord Rogers was scrapped when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats took control of Birmingham City Council in 2004. The incoming administration instead proposed a “split site” proposal, with the reference and lending libraries at two different locations.