I Owe the Oxford Mail (Saturday 22 and Monday 24 January) a double set of thanks.

Firstly, your double page spread last week clearly set out the costs and usages of the 20 libraries we are proposing to cease funding as part of our budget cuts and will stimulate debate.

The figures demonstrated the challenge to communities in picking up the concept of the Big Society. But I fear you have fallen into the trap of assuming every community will want to retain precisely the current format of its library service.

I believe we have an opportunity to look at different models in different places.

Space prevents me from going into detail, but I hope our consultation early this year will stimulate innovative ideas from our diverse communities that will enable the best of our library service to flourish and to change with the times.

Secondly, you issued a challenge in that Monday’s leader that I have a “duty to respond” to those campaigning for no cuts to libraries.

My response is, firstly to point you to that Saturday’s Mail in which you covered the story of a single father from Blackbird Leys with a severely disabled son who has been offered just six hours of respite care per month.

I am afraid the sad fact is that, if we choose to exempt our library service from the current proposed £2m cuts, we will have to add them to cuts somewhere else.

Social care is our largest single area of spend by far, and I am afraid it is either here or in highway maintenance that the £2m would probably have to fall if we exempted our library service.

Philip Pullman and others are vocal in their demand that we protect libraries from cuts but less clear about where they would impose the cuts instead.

The decision process is in two stages. On February 15, the 74 elected members of the county council have to agree a budget and medium term financial plan.

My administration is proposing to include libraries along with most other service areas for cuts of around a quarter over a four year period.

The only exemptions we have made are the Fire and Rescue Service and Safeguarding Children, where we have ring fenced spending.

If that budget is approved, it will include cuts building up to £2m pa in our library service, which currently costs £8m pa.

The second stage will be to determine, in consultation with communities, how that £2m pa cut should be made.

There is a choice here. We can cease funding 20 of our 43 libraries but work hard with local people to develop alternative models for a community library service.

Alternatively, we could impose a level cut over all 43 libraries, reducing opening hours across the board.

This is the easier political solution and some councils have done it. The clear professional advice is that a uniform cut in opening hours of this kind would damage the whole service long term.

It is on these issues that we plan to consult, once a budget has been set. Keith R Mitchell, Leader, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford