A FREEZE on stripping Brent's threatened libraries of stock or boarding them up has been agreed in the interim before an appeal is heard into a decision to shut them forever.
The undertaking from the Labour-run authority not to further decommission the half a dozen sites was aired yesterday (Wednesday) at the High Court.
The news comes in the wake of Tuesday's (Oct 18) ruling that umbrella campaign group Brent SOS Libraries should be allowed to ask the Court of Appeal to overturn last week's High Court judgment that ruled the council's procedural approach to closing the six libraries was not unlawful.
Brent Council locked the doors of its Preston, Kensal Rise, Neasden, Tokyngton, Cricklewood and Barham sites on the morning of Thursday's favourable decision, and they remain shut.
It has removed some of the books from the last two branches while protestors have maintained a vigil outside the doors of the first two in order to prevent council staff emptying the building of its contents in a similar fashion.
John Halford, the solicitor acting for Brent SOS Libraries, said: "What was decided today was that, in three points of terms of between now and the Court of Appeal hearing, the council will not take any steps to dispose of the libraries buildings or stock, and that Kensal Rise and Preston libraries will not be boarded up, and that the council will not take any steps that make it impossible to reopen them after the appeal has been heard."
A Brent Council spokesman said: “The council is hopeful that the appeal will be considered as soon as possible and is confident that the Court of Appeal will uphold the decision of Mr Justice Ouseley that the council should be able to proceed with its library transformation plan.
"In the meantime we have agreed not to board up Kensal Rise Library. However, all six of the effected buildings will remain closed."
The Court of Appeal hearing will last two days and take place in the week beginning November 7 in front of a panel of three judges.
Mr Halford said Brent SOS Libraries is appealing on three points of law such as that the council did not properly assess the impact of the closures on the Asian community and children, and how unfairly the voluntary organisations willing to run the libraries were treated in the process.
