Following on from the Protest events

Monday 11 February – 7:00 pm  –  Campaign Planning Meeting at Inspire

Tuesday 12 February – 5:00 pm onwards  –  Crowcroft Park Primary School
– Consultation drop-in session organised by the Council with Councillors
and senior officers to hear residents’ opinions and explain the
proposals in detail –

Wednesday 13 February – 10:00  –  Manchester City Council Executive
meeting at the Town Hall.  This meeting is open to members of the
public as observers.  By applying in advance and getting agreement,
members of the public may be invited to speak to specific items on the
Agenda.  Two members of the Levenshulme campaign have submitted a
request and it is expected that they will be called to speak at the
appropriate time.

Deputy Council Leader Jim Battle meets with Levenshulme campaigners

LCA facilitated a public meeting with Cllr Jim Battle who said he was impressed by the energetic actions of the campaign group who have been protesting about the proposed closures of both the Baths and the Library.

Councillor Battle confirmed that £6.5 million has been set aside from capital receipts of the Council for a new-build Joint Service centre which is due to be built by 2015 at a location somewhere in Levenshulme. He could not confirm where this is to be as the land was still under negotiation. He was asked to shepherd the negotiations for keeping open our vital and only public buildings until the new facilities are ready to use.

Two teams of campaigners have made recommendations about possible sources of funding which COULD be used to keep them open, but the use of Public Health money for the Baths and wider considerations about the whole city’s Libraries will be discussed in a series of Council meetings leading up to an Executive Committee meeting on 13th April, where final decisions about how to deal with the latest round of cuts will be made.

The Campaign group raised the serious impact on the area if either or both these public facilities are closed before the new one is opened.

We committed to keep up creative efforts to convince the Council to respect these needs of Levenshulme people.

LCA challenges proposal to close Levenshulme Library and Baths

LCA is working with a large group of campaigners and groups, like the Over 50s Swimming Club and Asian Ladies Swimming Group, who want to make sure the Council keeps the baths open and that they understand the need for privacy, which is the joy of having two pools at levy baths.

Library users are being asked to write letters as well as complete the Consultation forms to show what the Library means to each of us – not just a source of book borrowing, but a place to meet, a heart of our community.

Decisions will be taken in mid-April about keeping our Carnegie Library open until a new Library is established for Levenshulme. Please write to Cllr Richard Leese with your views. Copies can also come in to the LCA. Please sign the Petition available in POD and the Inspire Centre.