Isn't there living space in the Embassy?

You've made some very valid points Baggs.

Our library is still open, seems to still attract people as far as I can tell, although I rarely go in there now myself because books are so widely available. Local charity shops are turning away books; there appear to be second hand books cheaply available at all kinds of outlets too.

Our library is used for other purposes such as story time for under 5's, a group for babies, access to all kinds of information through its link with other, larger libraries as well as books and IT services, office equipment available to use, daily newspapers available etc.

I think if libraries evolve, as ours is trying to do, then they will continue to flourish but I can understand that a LA will not continue to fund an under-used resource when there are so many other, more essential, services in need.

PS As well as modernised the library is much NOISIER than it used to be because of additional noise-making activities. While toddler sing songs are great, they do make concentrating on reading in the same library more difficult.

Did a quick squint down the Active page but, as there doesn't seem to be a libraries thread, I'll say it here. Until recently I always used libraries quite a lot. Having avid reader children helped with that. I was an avid child reader myself as well. Used to annoy the librarian at our local small town library because, during the summer holidays especially, I would take a book out in the morning and bring it back in the afternoon. She wasn't keen on that though even at eleven years old I thought she was making a fuss about nothing. My own work in libraries later confirmed that view.
My brother continues to use that same library, much modernised, though it was new fifty or so years ago, almost daily, not least for internet access.

Anyway.... I don't use libraries much now. It's much easier and cheaper to buy books, new and secondhand, either paper or electronic. People tend to have more books so you can lend/borrow with your friends. People are also, comparatively speaking, and on average, a lot better off than they were when public libraries first became a good, benevolent thing.

So, could it be, with those things in mind, that there is simply less need for public libraries nowadays? Not no need, obviously, but less need. And could that be at least a small part of why local authorities are cutting funds (or not increasing with inflation) to them?

A spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in addition to being consul general Antony Phillipson's residence, the property will "be used to support his work to help British businesses as Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America." They also said the consul general's current residence, at an undisclosed location, will be listed for sale.

It would be good if our representatives are respected because they are experienced and competent - not because they live in luxury!

There are far more important things than one diplomat in NY.
Providing lending libraries is important but I think you fail to understand the importance of the work of Ambassadors and diplomats.

There are funds for both - they just need to release the money to the LAs and stop starving them of funds.

CardiffJaguar
This investment is for the UK to stand up amongst all the other diplomats there and be seen to be at least on a par.
Especially at the moment as we have been told we are a laughing stock throughout Europe.

Annaram
This should all be in another thread.
I agree, the threat of losing our libraries is a valid discussion which deserves its own thread
It is part of a different budget entirely.

I always thought the country concerned had to pay for their own Embassy
This is our Embassy
I'm sick of financing a few favoured people who do little or nothing for this country. In this day of technology why do they need to live abroad?
Even more

Hiya Baggs

Just to provide a bit of perspective, America's new embassy in London cost one billion pounds.

Watch this space and harry and Meghan will be Ambassadors with this as their pad !!

£963 million pounds between how many people in the UK for libraries ,needed for all sorts of learning reasons..AND 12 MILLION FOR ONE FLAT!!,There are far more important things than one diplomat in NY.There are also flats that dont cost that much money..even in NY .
Its that them and us thing again!

A lot of hot air on here as some are not taking account of the circumstances and the need. If you've not witnessed the NY and Washingtom lifestyles let alone the cost of real estate there then it is dificult to see reason. This investment is for the UK to stand up amongst all the other diplomats there and be seen to be at least on a par.

She was learning new librarian things (online cataloguing mainly) on the job.

When I worked part-time as a library assistant in one of Oxford University departmental libraries, the librarian had A-levels but no degree.

I was a librarian all my working life, until I retired. When the local library was threatened with closure they had the cheek to suggest that I might like to work there as a volunteer. Some hopes! The pay was bad years before when I got it. If they get volunteers to run libraries standards will go down and the reading public will not value them. Librarians are intelligent people who have degrees and library qualifications.
This should all be in another thread.

Got that statistic from here: www.statista.com/topics/1838/libraries-in-the-uk/

Apparently the UK government spends £963.28million pounds a year on public libraries. Makes $16million seem like peanuts.

Hi, jalima ?

Been thinking the same thing ?

Just heard that our lovely little library is closing. What a shame that we are so hard up .......

If so I would suggest a nice flat & if they need to take people out to wine & dine use a restaurant.
Well, you have to make sure that wherever you meet people is not bugged for a start!!

I have no idea what the royals have to do with this thread.
Ambassadors, diplomats and all their staff are an essential part of any country's relations with the rest of the world.

Come back Baggs, some of the naivety on the thread is astonishing!

Agree it is scandalous, but like look after like. Did you see where the Director of the Trust running one of the sets of Academy School made sure his family all received well paid jobs which meant much less money for the Schools.

At least it's not in Trump Tower.

Any thoughts as to why this is being circulated now? I don't believe it's new news.

I always thought the country concerned had to pay for their own Embassy. Do we pay for ours abroad then? If so I would suggest a nice flat & if they need to take people out to wine & dine use a restaurant.
I'm sick of financing a few favoured people who do little or nothing for this country. In this day of technology why do they need to live abroad? Have they never heard of Skype!

The government gets confused as to who is royalty and who isn't. One thing is for sure that even though we are financing their rich and wonderful lives, we are and have always been the peasants and should be very grateful for any crumbs they throw us. They are never short of money when it comes to what they think is a good idea and where they might benefit. Brexit might have been a nightmare, but it's certainly opened my eyes to the idiots and greed running this country and I worry that there isn't one person that will be able to do the job satisfactorily without big brother EU making the decisions as they have been for so long. Watch this space.

It is an entirely separate issue.

We can afford both that and to help the homeless by providing more hostels/homes but the reasons people are sleeping on the streets are many and complex and many need more than just accommodation..

Whilst we have people sleeping on the streets of our major towns and cities?