The Bromley Borough Libraries Service consists the libraries service for the London Borough of Bromley. The service consists of 14 [1] public libraries, currently operated by social non-profit Greenwich Leisure Limited under their trademark Better, who also manage the volunteer-run home libraries service. [2]
Bromley Borough contains 14 libraries, not including the home libraries service:
Prior to 2017, the Bromley libraries were directly administered by the local council.
In 2015, it was announced that due to council budget cuts, plans were under consideration to transition several of the libraries from a council-staffed to a volunteer-run model. [3] The affected "smaller" libraries consisted Burnt Ash, Hayes, Mottingham, Shortlands, Southborough and St Paul's Cray under these plans. The larger libraries and core services were also being considered for outsourcing. These privatization plans triggered criticism and strike action from current Bromley libraries staff in 2016. [4]
In July 2017, Bromley council announced that Greenwich Leisure Ltd. had been awarded a ten-year contract to operate the libraries service in cooperation with the council, and would take control of all library services as opposed to the split model proposed in the 2015 plans. [5] This handover came into effect in November 2017, and also resulted in the departure of Bromley's libraries from the London Libraries Consortium, [6] ending cross-borrowing with other London boroughs in the LLC.
Following the handover to Greenwich Leisure Ltd., a dispute with former council staff over pay resulted in strike action from the union Unite, amid broader criticism of the council's privatization policies. [7] The strike action began on March 28 of 2018, and involved 36 workers, ending in April after three weeks when a new agreement was reached between staff and Greenwich Leisure Ltd. [8] A further staff strike in March 2024 gained workers an increase in sick pay but the union remained in dispute over pay as well as conditions for zero hour workers. [9]
Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of both the London Borough of Bromley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located south west of Eltham, 1.5 miles. It was historically within the county of Kent.
Orpington is an area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles south east of Charing Cross.
Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. It was part of Kent prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965.
The London Borough of Bromley is a borough in London, England. It borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part of until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 census was 329,991. It is named after Bromley, its principal district. Other districts are Penge, Hayes, West Wickham, Chislehurst, Beckenham and Orpington. The local authority is Bromley London Borough Council.
Bromley and Chislehurst is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2006 by Bob Neill, a Conservative.
Lewisham is an area of southeast London, England, six miles south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London, with a large shopping centre and street market. Lewisham had a population of 60,573 in 2011.
Bromley is a large town in South East Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 9+1⁄2 miles southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross and south of Bexleyheath.
Eltham is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is 8.7 miles (14.0 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Eltham North, South and West have a total population of 35,459. 88,000 people live in Eltham.
Downham is a district of South East London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Lewisham and some parts in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located north of Bromley and south of Catford.
Eltham is a constituency in Greater London created in 1983 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Clive Efford of the Labour Party.
Bromley Common is an unincorporated village in Greater London, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is south of Bromley town centre and Bickley, west of Southborough and Petts Wood, north of Locksbottom and Keston, and east of Hayes.
Cray Wanderers Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Sidcup, London. Based on later reports, the club has a claim to have been established some time in 1860 in the twin villages of St Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, near Orpington. Such a date would make it one of the oldest football clubs in the world.
Shortlands is a suburb of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It has been part of Greater London since 1965, and was previously part of the historic county of Kent. It is located between west of Bromley and east of Beckenham.
Sundridge Park, also known simply as Sundridge, is an area of Greater London within the London Borough of Bromley and prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Kent. It is situated north of Bromley, north-west of Widmore and Bickley, south of Grove Park and south-east of Downham. In the twentieth century Sundridge names began to overlap somewhat with neighbouring Plaistow, for example, the main Sundridge shopping parade by the station sits directly east of Plaistow Green, with business and facilities in the area using the two names interchangeably, and Plaistow Cemetery is actually on the Sundridge side of the border. However, during the early twenty first century there have been deliberate attempts to re-establish the separate identities of both villages, Sundridge has its own village sign, and representation has been made to the local council for a village sign for Plaistow. Plaistow refers especially to the area north of Sundridge Park station along Burnt Ash Lane, part of the A2212 road which runs north to south between Grove Park and Bromley.
Lewisham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lewisham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Lewisham, currently Damien Egan. Lewisham is divided into 19 wards, each electing two or three councillors. There are currently 16 three member wards and 3 two member wards. Following the May 2018 election, Lewisham London Borough Council comprises 54 Labour Party councillors. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced two local authorities: Deptford Metropolitan Borough Council and Lewisham Metropolitan Borough Council.
The Mid Kent & North Kent Junction Railway was an early railway in Kent England.
The 2018 Bromley London Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Bromley London Borough Council in England. This was the same day as other local elections.