Crofton Park has increased visitor numbers by 6% and only seen a reduction in borrowing by 60% from 2010 to 2014 (that's the smallest fall for any community library).

Again for the sake of comparison Forest Hill library has seen an increase visitor numbers by 17% and a reduction in borrowing by 6% over the same period.

On the one occasion I visited the library in Crofton Park it appeared more focused on selling second-hand books than providing a borrowing service, but that might not be a fair conclusion from a single visit outside library opening hours.

But for a more positive picture, there was an article in News Shopper last year by a young journalist - http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/youngreport..._Years_On/

Once again it is right to praise the work of the volunteers without whom Crofton Park library would probably be closed, but that doesn't mean it is the best solution for providing library services or that it should be replicated in larger libraries such as Forest Hill.

And one rhetorical question, why should our council tax money go to running good libraries in Lewisham, Downham, and Deptford but no professionally run libraries in the south west of the borough?