The failure of our high court appeal to overturn Brent council's decision to close six libraries is disheartening, but it will not cause anyone in the campaign to falter in their tracks. The year-long struggle to save the library has produced the most remarkable upsurge of energy, and it shows no sign of dissipating.
The monolithic structure that is Brent council will no doubt be celebrating, but it is a pyrrhic victory. They have failed their voters, and they have damaged a crucial foundation stone of our cultural heritage. We have pledged to take the matter to the supreme court, and if we fail then, we will find other means to make sure the library stays open.
This campaign is unusual in that it is not about our needs – most campaigners have the resources to buy books in bookshops – but the needs of the local community which, in an area with high poverty levels and overcrowding, needs a library more than most. Campaigners gathered outside the library after the judgment, and they were as determined as ever to try and keep it. All we want is to run it on a voluntary basis – we are not head-in-the-sand political headbangers – but Brent remain obdurate. We don't know what it will take to bring them to the table, but we will do whatever is necessary.
Personally, whatever happens to the library, my view of the power and determination of local communities has changed forever. The untapped energy of grass roots movements – which David Cameron was so vocal about, but has done nothing whatsoever to support – is plain for anyone to see. I am proud to have been part of this campaign, and it is very far from over.
