IN DEPTH
Championing CILIP members at the highest levels of government across all four nations
With elections on the cards for much of the UK this year – including a potential general election – there will be new opportunities to engage and develop relationships. Here, Jo Cornish, CILIP’s Interim CEO, looks at how CILIP will embrace those opportunities and ensure that the information professions are represented at all levels of government.
LITTLE is certain in the world of politics, but we are as confident as it is possible to be that 2024 will be a general election year, and we know for certain that there will be local and mayoral elections on 2 May. We cannot predict the outcome of these elections, but they present us with an important opportunity to build our net- works and influence. Whatever the result, we know already that more than 80 sitting MPs will be stepping-down – creating a huge opportunity for a ‘great reset’ in the positioning of libraries, information and knowledge. If there is a new government as well, then the opportunity is likely to be even greater.
New MPs, councillors and advisors need to understand we are a key part of the solu- tion for many of their, and the electorate’s, primary concerns. It is essential that CILIP secure much-needed support both to defend hard-hit public services and to make the case for knowledge and information at the heart of the economy and society.
Election footing
CILIP has been working with partners at public affairs agency Inflect to ensure that candidates will go into elections with a clear understanding of how the library, informa-
16 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Jo Cornish is Interim CEO of CILIP.
tion and knowledge management profes- sion contribute to key social and economic objectives. We want those in a position of power, or indeed in opposition, to know who their information profession partners are and why a relationship with them will be hugely beneficial.
Sir Keir Starmer’s New Year Speech set the ball rolling. The Labour Party is prom- ising a government dedicated to service, focusing on a ‘decade of national renewal’. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, has indi- cated that he is preparing for an election in the second half of the year – implying Autumn. MRP polling suggests a landslide Labour victory, but Labour will still have to win numbers in Scotland to guarantee
January-February 2024
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