Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she has made an assessment of the potential impact of public library closures on the (a) educational and (b) social opportunities for local residents.

All local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for determining how best to meet the needs of its communities and deliver its statutory duty within available resources.

Where local authorities are proposing changes to its statutory library service provision, including closures, DCMS expects the local authority to be able to demonstrate that proposals are supported by an assessment of local needs, together with a rigorous analysis and assessment of the potential impact of their proposals and a demonstration of the steps to be taken to mitigate the impact.

The Secretary of State has a statutory power to intervene by way of local inquiry if she considers that a local authority is not providing a comprehensive and efficient library service. She takes this role very seriously and should a complaint be received, Ministers will challenge the local council and carefully consider evidence before deciding if a local inquiry is needed.