SIR — We welcome the news that Somerset County Council is listening to its electorate and that the library cuts will be more equally distributed, i.e the shared pain of cuts in hours will be across the board.

We welcome the saving of nine libraries including Wiveliscombe and the more realistic timescale for five others, but 11 out of 34 libraries could still be closed.

Those saved should not have been threatened in the first place.

The consultation response demonstrates that the County Council failed to assess needs properly in their initial consultation and would have been in breach of statutory duty had they continued with their original course of action.

The only reason Cllrs Ken Maddock and Christine Lawrence have listened is because so many people said stop and the threat of legal action concentrated their minds.

Questions must now be asked about the cost of the original libraries review and how the Somerset tax payer will be reimbursed for this colossal waste of money which, if the exercise had been done properly in the first place, would have paid to keep the libraries open that are still threatened.

The statement makes no mention of the fate of the mobile libraries – these become more and more important as rural communities are abandoned by the county.

Six libraries are condemned to close as funding is withdrawn by September 2011 – too early for precept funding or community fundraising unless they can get a Bill Gates type benefactor.

Why can't they give these communities longer - until April 2012 so that funds and precepts can be raised?

Why can't they make bigger cuts to the hub libraries so smaller libraries can be kept open for at least one day a week. If they close they close for good as buildings are sold and equipment and books are dispersed.

The council has no mandate to do this - it was only elected for four years but libraries have existed for decades and are held in trust for future generations as the heart of their community.

Of the five libraries being 'offered' to their communities, it is not clear if this is under the 'community supported' model or the 'community run' model.  

The community run model is largely unproven and is also not acceptable as communities will be paying council tax for a library service and having to raise money a second time via precepts for a community-owned library. This is not fair in comparison to people living in Taunton etc.

Library closures are a blow to literacy in those deprived and rural communities, without as many voices to shout.

The thousand people attending meetings and the thousands responding were overwhelmingly hostile to the proposals.  That's not a sign of successful consultation process, it's a sign of a bad idea.

In the consultation document there was a lack of understanding of the impact on rural areas.  Even with the proposed changes, there is still no sign of improved understanding, or of how the impact of closure in those communities (and impact on over 36,000 people) will be mitigated.

Some of the remotest or poorest or smallest communities in the county are being hit – Porlock, Highbridge, Watchet, Sunningdale, Bishops Lydeard and Bruton. 

Cllr Lawrence recognised that "people understood the need to make savings but thought the greatest impact would be felt in rural areas. They wanted to see the savings shared out among all libraries, including those in the biggest towns." 

We say that would have been the obvious way to ensure that they met statutory duty in first place.

Kay Hoskins,

Chairman,

Friends of Wiveliscombe Library.