Mary Reid

The new library and community centre at Hook is taking shape.

Compare it with the old library and hall:

The Council has been issuing regular newsletters about the Hook Project.

Some misleading things have been written about this project, especially in local Tory leaflets.  I will charitably assume that they have misunderstood some of the detail, so to put the record straight:

Modern libraries support research and learning, as well as traditional book borrowing. The Learning and Skills Council has provided nearly £1million for the Hook Project for adult learning, and for a creche to enable people to take advantage of it.  So the suggestion that the adult learning facilities and the creche could be moved to Chessington Community College overlooks why the funding was given in the first place.

The Council has offered the Neighbourhood Police space in the new centre, but their needs have changed as their teams are growing.  It is their choice, sadly, to base themselves elsewhere.

We often hear that young people have nothing to do around here, and that not all of them want traditional youth clubs.  What they do all love is music, and the recording studios and decks elsewhere in the Borough have been very popular. Creating and enjoying music is such a positive use of leisure time, so this imaginative use of the space will have all kinds of benefits. I do find it odd when people moan about the lack of activities for young people and yet try to get rid of them when we provide them!

At one stage a local Tory leaflet claimed that the wonderful trees on the Hook Road were coming down. This was pure scaremongering as the preservation of the trees was never in doubt.

Finally, the extra costs of running the new centre (above the previous costs of the inadequate library and underused hall) will be met through the income from the cafe and other franchises.

It is a shame that the Tories are running down this project.  Perhaps they haven't been talking to enough local residents to know how popular it is.