That's spooky! The parallel between Beeching and Libraries was something which - without looking at any blog or any other source - just occured to me across this weekend. The 'shakeout' of a Victorian institution built piecemeal.
So are the emerging Volunteer Libraries the equivalent of the Heritage railways we see all around - the remnants of the Beeching cuts - which are nice, but it's the cut - but now growing - mainstream railway service which provides the backbone of provision.
And the Beeching cuts took too much of the feeder services from the core railway network - another parallel? - and there are areas where it's now being put back.
My local council is lobbying to expand existing rail services in areas moribund since WWI (yes 1, not 2). There is talk in Norfolk of a rail 'Ring Main' using mainsteam rail and Heritage services reconnected to that.
HS2 will follow much of the route of the closed 'Great Central Mainline' Central Railway (closed by Beeching) - with the same ambition of connecting the north to the contient, via a Channel Tunnel.
De Ja Vu? What goes around, comes around?
It's a thought...
JU
'...Views my own etc...'
John Usher
ICT Manager
Library and Heritage Services
Islington Council
Central Library
2 Fieldway Crescent
LONDON N5 1PF
Tel: 020 7527 6920
Mobile: 07825 098 223
Fax: 020 7527 6926
Alternative contact: Michelle Gannon - 020 7527 6907
www.islington.gov.uk
How to get to Central Library: http://www.islington.gov.uk/Education/Libraries/Local/Central.asp
--- On Sun, 10/3/13, Frances Hendrix <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Frances Hendrix <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Beaching/railways., Vaizey? Libraries. Spot the difference?
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sunday, 10 March, 2013, 13:20
Following Ed Vaizey's speech to the LGA Conference, Tim Coates analyses the actual CIPFA data for English library authorities' revenue for the past five years and questions how the money is being spent.
NB. Previous analysis of CIPFA data has shown that corporate service charges imposed on library authorities have escalated by 70% as a proportion of revenue in the past decade. This is an issue often raised privately by heads of service and was highlighted at the Hampshire conference attended by several council leaders and library portfolio holders.
www.goodlibraryguide.com/blog <http://www.goodlibraryguide.com/blog>
Frances Hendrix
Martin House Farm, Hilltop Lane, Whittle le Woods, Chorley, Lancs, PR6 7QR
Tel: 01257 274 833. Mobile: 0777 55 888 03
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