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The London library campaign group alliance Libraries for Life for Londoners (LLL) has issued a new manifesto, calling for mayor Boris Johnson to intervene personally over the state of London's libraries. LLL said hands-on participation by the mayor was needed to deliver the improvements promised by the London Library Change Programme (LLCP).
Newly elected LLL chairman Tim Coates said: "The London Library Change Programme was established in 2007, has spent over £300,000 and changed precisely nothing. Improving libraries is not difficult and can fundamentally be addressed by increasing opening hours, improving book collections and creating attractive environments to read, work or study."
LLL's manifesto calls for councils to be set specific targets for improvements, and for library budgets to be reviewed to eliminate wastage. It also argues against library closures, saying: "Savings will be tiny compared to the animosity generated among library users. Many library users are members of society that are often marginalised – the elderly, the unemployed, single-parent families – and the negative impact on these people’s lives following library closures will outweigh any cost reductions."