COUNCILLOR Mitchell (ViewPoints, December 16) accuses me of sitting on the fence, when I point out how important libraries are to the county’s avowed priority of breaking the cycle of deprivation. He seems to think it perfectly fair to plan to save £2m by 2014-15 by removing funding from 20 libraries across the county, regardless of the capacity of the relevant communities to provide a replacement or agree a reduced cost option.

People in North Oxford have rallied to the cause of saving Summertown Library by the hundred.

We should be able to maintain this very necessary, as well as highly valued, resource somehow, provided we are given sufficient time to develop the model, and some support from the centre.

It will not be easy for some other communities to step in; if the county council takes its responsibilities seriously, it should be working to ensure that those least able to take over are given extra support to do so.

If only the Conservative Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, had stood up more strongly for local government, we should not be in such a difficult position. Is Mr Mitchell lobbying him very hard?

What I do not hear from Mr Mitchell is an understanding of the importance of public libraries, only a repeated statement that there are too many of them.

We Liberal Democrats are very willing to work with him but were not privy to the discussions when the proposals for the library service were being drawn up. Not a fence here, but a closed door.

Jean Fooks, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, County Councillor for Summertown and Wolvercote St Bernard’s Road, Oxford