Libraries are saved

TV PRESENTERS Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan yesterday threw their weight behind the Daily Express crusade to save our public libraries.

As more and more people back the call to have a national rethink on how we fund our libraries, the popular broadcasters said it was vital that we saved every last one.

From their home in Cornwall, Richard said: “Public libraries are one of our most important national resources we have.

“We must act to preserve, and nourish them.

“Ignorance represents our human defeat, but knowledge confers freedom and power.”

The couple famously run a successful book club which has inspired many to read more often.

Richard added: “The lives of countless people who achieved great things in this country and the wider world were shaped by their free access to knowledge as young people, to local libraries.

“We developed our love of literature and reading thanks to libraries that were just a bus ride away from where we grew up – Judy in Manchester, myself in Romford, Essex.”

The couple’s backing comes as alarming new figures show how public libraries are increasingly disappearing from our communities.

Cherished

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The amount spent on the oncecherished buildings has drastically fallen by nearly £300million in just a few years – from over £1billion to £720million.

As a result, 737 have disappeared from our cities, towns and villages in the past eight years.

The total remaining is now only 3,745 across the entire nation – down from 4,482 in 2010.

In addition, more than 550 have also been made “volunteer-only” over the same period.

Countless more stand under threat, with experts warning of a possible “library extinction”.

Of those that remain, many have also now been much reduced – with skeleton or less knowledgeable volunteer staff, reduced opening hours and fewer books.

The result, campaigners say, is an unfolding national tragedy.

But on the back of the Express crusade, more and more campaigners, politicians and celebrities are calling on both central and local government to stop the rot.

Part of the problem libraries face is that they are not funded by central Government.

Instead, in England, the 151 local authorities individually dish out their financial allocation – leading to geographical anomalies.

And with savage cuts to local authority funding, some areas are hit harder than others.

For instance, Essex has been particularly hard hit, after having about £3.7million (one-third) cut from its current £11.4million budget.

As a result, there is now a consultation over the future of a staggering 25 libraries in the county, which could close or “go volunteer” without council support.

In neighbouring Kent, £1million is to be cut over next two years – on top of £6million since 2013-14. This is expected to lead to library opening 2016/17 2015/16 2014/15 2013/14 2012/13 2011/12 2010/11 hours being reduced in many of those that remain.

There are similar stories across the country, with pronounced cuts and threats to existing libraries in Newcastle, Hertfordshire, Worcestershire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and East Sussex. In Derbyshire, a £1.6million budget cut is poised to