Campaigners claim Aberdeen City Council is making it hard for people to take part in a survey on library closures – after “ripping out furniture to make them more difficult to reopen”.
An emergency local authority meeting was called this afternoon amid ongoing legal action aimed at reopening several mothballed facilities.
It came just days after the council started consulting the public on the closures of Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside libraries six months ago.
The public talks are taking place after campaigners lodged papers with the Court of Session over the “unlawful” move, and have been seized upon as a victory in the battle.
But today’s meeting took place just hours after it emerged that posters placed at each of the shuttered buildings feature broken QR codes.
Instead of directing people to the survey page, a message saying “oops – something has gone wrong” appears on the phones of would-be participants.
Campaigner told of city’s ‘anger’ at closures
Councillors agreed to close all of the facilities back in March as the authority looked to save almost £47 million in its budget.
Members of the SNP and Lib Dem ruling group said difficult decisions had to be made amid “unprecedented” financial challenges.
Laurie Mackay, of the Save Aberdeen Libraries group, is as motivated as ever to undo the decision.
In a powerful speech in the Town House this afternoon, she said she had “spent months being extremely angry”.
We are still in Town House, the councillors voted in majority to keep the meeting private, even when a second motion was put forward to make it public with only legal parts moved to a private session. One of us was allowed to make a deputation – which they did. pic.twitter.com/atnvsO2btO
— Save Aberdeen Libraries (@SaveAbdnLibs) September 18, 2023
In her passionate plea, Laurie said: “The clock cannot be turned back.
“It would do no good to demand an immediate reopening of libraries or the Bucksburn Pool when they have been stripped of their resources so carelessly.
“You can, however, prepare solutions and a budget to allow for a planned reopening in 2024.
“Libraries would benefit the people of this city far more than millions spent on a garden that might be nice, but is not needed.”
QR code disaster makes mockery of Aberdeen library survey
Laurie claimed the newly launched library consultation was “confusing” to the public, and believes the council should have done more to publicise it.
The campaigner said it took five days for the local authority to mention the consultation, launched on September 11, on its social media channels.
Aberdeen City Council is consulting on the closure of Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside libraries https://t.co/M2mwdZBJzg
— Aberdeen City Council (@AberdeenCC) September 15, 2023
And, even then, she questioned the decision to push it on a Friday evening…
Laurie said that social media posts broadcast on Friday evenings typically garner little engagement.
She then noted that QR codes on posters outside the six closed libraries that should direct people to the public consultation don’t work.
The protestor asked: “Can it be that no one checked these details before laminating and putting them up on the empty buildings?”
‘Why were libraries emptied so soon after closure?’
Laurie also suggested that the council had emptied the facilities in an effort to stymie any potential reopening.
She asked: “Why did you make deliberate actions to tear out fabrics of these buildings to make them more difficult to reopen if the courts found in our favour?
“You didn’t just move stock and furniture, you stripped them bare of their shelving so they would be costly to reopen.”
Laurie suggested the council could come up with compromises instead that could see some libraries close while others open.
She added: “We all want what’s best for the city.
“We are willing to work with you all, we don’t want it to be a fight.”
Councillors urged to learn from their mistakes
In her heartfelt speech, Laurie warned that Aberdeen residents have “lost trust” in the local authority.
UPDATE: we’ve been alerted to the fact that the QR code on these posters does not work. Hopefully @AberdeenCC will rectify that quickly. https://t.co/xJRm4iWK96
— Save Aberdeen Libraries (@SaveAbdnLibs) September 18, 2023
Following her deputation, Laurie was met with applause from councillors in the chamber and her fellow campaigners who were sat in the public gallery.
They were then told to leave the room as members discussed the closures in private.
Learn more about the consultation, including how to take part, here:
How YOU could help force council to reopen closed Aberdeen libraries
Conversation