What was cobbled up between Labour and Tories last night only secures Libraries till the May elections. Whoever is in control after that can, and from what both the Tory and Labour Leaders said, will revisit this decision. Which means that the future of all libraries is still under threat.

The decision taken at last night’s Budget meeting might on the face of it have secured the short term future of Libraries, however it actually made their long term futures even more precarious. It certainly did nothing to protect those Libraries threatened with closure in 2016/17 namely New Invention, Blakenall and Rushall.

The proposals contained within the Liberal Democrat Budget actually secures the long term future of all Libraries. It does this by putting Libraries at the heart of an emerging Community Hubs plan. Enabling people to access a whole range of services from all Partner Agencies, not just the Council, thus spreading the cost giving Libraries a sustainable future. Isn’t that what we all want?