Rural areas 'facing marginalised futures'

2.28.58pm GMT Tue 12th Feb 2008

Library services have been hit by County Council cuts

Liz Leffman, Prospective Liberal Democrat MP for Meon Valley, believes rural parts of the constituency are facing a future of marginalised services due to poor management from the Labour Government and savage cuts from the Tory County Council in Hampshire.

Of particular concern to Liz is the declining care of library services in the county. The Lib Dems have found there are ten per cent fewer mobile libraries than in 2001, while an average of more than one library a week closes in England.

"Conservative-led Hampshire County Council has recently announced in its budget plans to swipe £215,000 from the Library Books Fund, meaning a vast reduction in the quality and quantity of literature available locally.

"It is no wonder the number of people borrowing one item per year or more from libraries has declined by a quarter since 2001 - they are running out of options to select from!

"It's amazing how the County Council can find £4m a year for publicity and communications, yet they can't find £215,000 to keep books on the shelves of our libraries or £673,000 to keep our bus services going.

"Hampshire's libraries and services budget is being savagely cut by HCC when, nationally, Labour is grinding our rural areas down to the ground with plans to close local schools and post offices."