Sir – When my own council, Wirral, on Merseyside, announced plans to close 11 of its libraries, the reaction of residents right across the borough and from all sections of society was immediate and vocal.

Libraries sowed the seedcorn of the future — they served the most needy, they were safe places for the young and the old, in partnership they encouraged early reading initiatives, supported school work, encouraged those with literacy difficulties, provided Internet access — the list went on and on. However the key element in all the argument was that the libraries needed to be local. No difficult or expensive journey should be required to reach them, young mothers should not have to haul buggies on and off a bus to get their small children to a ‘Babies’ Bounce and Rhyme’ session, wheelchair users and the elderly should have access to library facilities in their home locality. So strong was the opposition to the closures that it prompted the unprecedented holding of a public inquiry, ably led by the former chief executive of a London borough, Sue Charteris. Not surprisingly the Charteris Report condemned the closures and for the moment, at least, Wirral’s libraries remain open.

I would urge both the council and all the Oxford campaigners, to consider the findings of the Charteris Report on the Wirral Library Service. Libraries are not a service to be slashed without very careful thought and consultation, otherwise it is the most vulnerable who lose out.

Elizabeth Davey, Former teacher — Blackbird Leys, Meols, Wirral