ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Powney

author

James Powney was the lead councillor responsible for Brent Council’s successful reform of library services from 2010 until 2015.
 
This saw a mediocre library service successfully modernised to allow seven day opening, much improved information technology, a better offer per library and an increase in visitors from 1.5 million to 2.5 million, as well as increasing library loans when English libraries as a whole were in decline.  It also saw a new library at Wembley which became the third most used library in England and Wales and a brand new library built in Willesden.
 
This was in spite of a substantial cut in budget and fierce opposition by litigants and single issue campaigners.  The Brent reform shows that there is a third choice between the endless austerity cuts of the present government and the unrealistic endless expansion of government spending to create better value high quality public services.