Getting private companies to run public services was a key theme of the Conservative government in the 1980s, so many will be surprised to see that Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council has already rejected the idea for its threatened libraries.

We urge the council to enter into discussions with Library Systems & Services and other firms that may be suitable for the role.

Closing libraries must be a last resort. Only then can the council allay fears that our libraries have been the first port of call for County Hall’s cost-cutting drive.