Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of library closures on local communities.
Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is therefore for each local authority to determine how best to provide a public library service that meets local needs and within available resources.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport monitors developments relating to proposed changes to library services in England. The Government is working with the Libraries Taskforce to promote good practice and innovation to assist library services and enable them to be sustainable for the long term.