Andrew Rosindell and Nigel Farage are chalk and cheese. Yet in January 2026 Andrew joined Reform. This was probably because of the shock he received in 2024 when his huge majority evaporated. He believes Nigel’s charisma will carry him over the line in 2029. Meanwhile Nigel’s political opportunism and financial wheeling and dealing carry on. They are at odds over everything about political life but need each other.
Andrew and Nigel: An Odd Couple – YouTube This video is 3 minutes long
The fundamental issue with the Council’s finances is not one of financial stewardship but that we simply do not receive enough Government support relative to the needs of the residents of Havering. Until that fundamental issue is addressed then it will remain a challenge to balance the Council’s budget.1
Closing four libraries is financially trivial. The two-year loan of £54m will cost £3.78m in interest annually. And in 2026 it will be an action replay. Salami slicing tactics2 are characteristic of political cowards. Tiny incremental cuts, which people can sort-of accept, and then wham: everything is gone.
The 2022-3 overspend was 4.5%, “a £7.788m overspend against a final net budget of £173m,”3 which was structural. Only a government injection of £4bn into local authorities will prevent further deficits.4 The bleak possibility is that Havering’s library service will be further reduced.5
Havering as helpless victim?
The council makes significant political choices. Roughly a million-pound subsidy to non-Romford car park users is utterly political. A million pounds to encourage car use? Roughly £300,000 is subsidising the MetPolice for five officers who are called away for operational duties elsewhere. Roughly £100,000 is spent closing park gates – for the few parks that have gates. Roughly £500,000 goes on CCTV, which notoriously didn’t prevent the arson attack on the Town Hall itself. And so on.
The Consultation document6 is mendacious, “…the budget challenges the Council faces means the library service’s budget needs to reduce”.7 This is untrue.
Closing libraries is a political choice.
Notes
1 draft_20222023_statement_of_accounts.pdf (havering.gov.uk)
2 Salami slicing tactics – Wikipedia
3 draft_20222023_statement_of_accounts.pdf (havering.gov.uk) p11
4 The prospect of further real terms funding cuts is likely to exacerbate existing concerns about systemic underfunding, with the current funding gap already estimated at £4 billion. Financial distress in local authorities: government response to the Select Committee report – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
5 The statutory minimum would be libraries in Hornchurch, Rainham and Romford.
6 Havering Council Libraries Consultation – London Borough of Havering Council – Citizen Space
7 loc.cit.
