Sir Tom Stoppard faces new row at the London Library
Sir Tom Stoppard is president of the London Library, which plans a steep rise in subscription fees.
By Tim Walker
Published:The Telegraph 13 Jul 2010


Sir Tom Stoppard is president of the London Library, which plans a steep rise in subscription fees  Photo: ALAMY

Undeterred by the dramatic loss of members caused by his last price rise, Sir Tom Stoppard may cause a new row at the London Library, the workplace of some of the nation's leading writers.

Mandrake learns that the St James's library, of which Sir Tom is president, plans to raise the cost of its subscriptions by an inflation busting 13 per cent next year.

Bill Emmott, the chairman of the library, says the rise is necessary because of a £300,000 shortfall in its finances caused by HM Revenue & Customs abruptly withdrawing the Gift Aid relief it had previously allowed on subscriptions.
"We took legal advice," he says. "Only a change in the law could restore this relief, and that is unlikely in the current climate of fiscal austerity."
He says the library, which has undergone an expensive restoration, will be hired out as a venue for events.

Bamber Gascoigne, who led opposition to the 80 per cent rise in the cost of subscriptions in 2008, says more members will leave. "I used to be a member, but I dropped out when they raised their price," says the former University Challenge presenter. "Most of my friends have dropped out."