Corinna Guthrie, a librarian for Essex Libraries, said she is “deeply saddened” by the closure of Gidea Park, South Hornchurch and Harold Wood libraries, which she worries will have an impact on different community groups in the borough.
The libraries shut for good on March 31 after Havering Council recommended their closure at a cabinet meeting in February.
The decision is expected to save the council £288,000 a year – but many residents, including Corinna, joined campaigns and protests against the closures.
“I had known for a while that library closures were planned by the council, and had been involved in several campaigns against it,” Corinna explained.
“But when the information was finally broadcast, it hit me in a way that I had not expected.
“All three of the libraries in question hold a special place in my heart, and their closure has filled me with sadness, coupled with fear for the future of our communities.”
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Corinna – who has lived in Havering for six years – was employed as an agency worker at South Hornchurch Library between April 2023 and June 2024, and said it was some of the “most fulfilling” work of her career.
“It was a really enjoyable time – I did really enjoy the work there,” she told the Recorder.
“We organised lots of events, for the summer reading challenge, the coronation, and Black History Month, and they were really well visited.”
The librarian added that her work has allowed her to see the importance of libraries as a community hub.
People of all ages and backgrounds use libraries as a meeting space, Corinna said, including knit and natter groups and a reading buddies service which used to run at South Hornchurch.
Corinna, who has a nine-month-old son, also relied on Havering’s libraries in her personal life, previously attending baby bounce sessions at Gidea Park Library.
She now fears the closures will have a knock-on impact on other services in the area, including health and social care and homeless shelters.
Corinna said: “There will be more pressure on other services as a result.
“At other libraries I’ve worked in there are often lots of homeless people taking shelter at Christmas, and they have the warm spaces scheme where people who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis can come in to stay warm.”
Havering Council was contacted for comment.
At the time the library closures were announced, Havering Council leader Ray Morgon said it was an “incredibly tough decision” for the council to make.
Cllr Morgon said: “It has been forced on us by year on year cuts in government funding and increasing pressures and costs from social care and homelessness.
“We acknowledge the community impact of any library closures, this has been reflected in recommending three sites to close rather than the previously proposed four.”
