6.
WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL
We were met on arrival by Miss Cortazzi, Information Officer, who presented us with an Information Folder containing a series of Profile Papers describing the work of the Council's various departments. This is an inexpensive method of providing information and could be used as a model for our own use.
11.
12.
Libraries
(Mr. F. N. McDonald)
Mr. MacDonald also provided an Information Folder containing the City Librarian's Annual Report (1973/74) and various leaflets explaining the different library services.
The WCC operates 14 Libraries in the Borough for a population of about 225,000. The service is free and, in fact, is open to the many commuters who come into the Borough for business and educational purposes each day. The first Westminster Library was established in 1853, following an Act of Parlia- ment in 1850. By a further Act in 1964 it is a statutory requirement for local Councils to provide free library services.
The Libraries Department has a staff of 300 with 1.2m volumes in stock and 90,000 members. Expenditure in 1973/74 was £1.17m and libraries income 20.028m. The deficit, which amounts to about £14 per member per annum, is a charge to the General Rate.
Many specialist services are provided and these include a music library, medical library, children's library, fine arts library, commercial/technical library and a mobile service for the handicapped citizens. The loan period is 3 weeks and a fine of 1p per day is charged on overdue books.
Theft is a serious and growing problem to the extent that consideration is being given to installation of electronic devices to screen all persons leaving public libraries.
It is recommended that, for information and record purposes, consideration be given to the publication of Annual Reports by the H.K. Senior Librarian and other such officers.
Cemeteries & Crematoria (Mr. Kerr, Head of Parks Dept.)
All Borough Councils have a statutory obligation to dispose of the dead if this responsibility is not accepted by relatives.
The Westminster Council has 4 cemeteries :
Location
Area
Burial Spaces
Available capacity
Paddington
25 acres
33,000
full
27 11
70,000
12,500
36
32,000
1,000
23
11
20,000
2,000
Willesden Marylebone
Westminster
Total internments last year were 535. A crematorium is also operated at Finchley and cremations are currently running at 2000 per year.
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