Sir – The public was told that all options for making the required cuts to the library services would be ‘on the table’ as part of the public consultation. They were not. The council only offered us one option and they didn’t even tell us what the estimated costs of it would be. To add insult to injury, at a recent meeting with Save Oxfordshire Libraries, councillor Judith Heathcoat and council officials John Jackson and Karen Warren are reported to have said that ‘The OCC was not interested in the introduction of cuts across all libraries in the county’ and that ‘The OCC rejected proposals to introduce volunteers in the bigger libraries alongside professional librarians’.
They even admitted that the consultation was biased against rural libraries, saying that, ‘The OCC had assessed needs across the county and there needed to be a cut-off point’. How dare they claim to be consulting the electorate when there is clearly determination to adhere to a preconceived position? Please contact councillors to remind them that we are entitled to a proper examination of all the options, and ask them to oppose the cabal’s option if it is put to council.
Geoff Feasey, North Leigh
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