Sir – Councillor Mitchell is right in saying that “No one asking for their local library to be kept open has suggested which of these service areas should be targeted.”

The reason for that is that we are not proposing that libraries be exempt from cuts at the expense of other services, but that all libraries take their fair share of the pain.

At our meeting in Kennington with councillor Judith Heathcoat, we asked for a commitment that, before the consultation starts, she and councillor Mitchell will publish the information provided by the officers in order to help us come up with fully-costed alternatives, and when the consultation process starts, they will consider alternative proposals for making the required savings.

Volunteers are indeed willing to help their librarian and to raise funds. but need to keep within the excellent county library network with a professional librarian employed by the council, because the librarian has the skills, experience and passion to keep the library functioning properly.

We also get the impression that councillor Mitchell has never struggled to get a buggie and two children on buses from Berinsfield or Blackbird Leys: buses that are not free to parents on a minimum wage.

Paddy Landau, Sylvia Vetta and Robin Mason, On behalf of The Campaign to Save Kennington Library