So, the council aren't mending roads, they're not supporting children, or the elderly, they're not supporting the vulnerable and now the books will go to landfill. What exactly, apart from swilling gin down at the golf club do they actually do?

I believe they sell public land to the lowest bidder.

If we are totally honest, the way it is now, local government is a wholly outdated and unnecessary arrangement. Since 1945, the Government has been homogenising and centralising all activity and what counts for local government is simply no more than a complaints desk in a department store. It's time to stop this expensive overhead, something that I suspect would have happened had not Mrs Thatcher set her face against simply increasing income tax as a way of abolishing the rates.

Rubbish

What?

Certainly true that libraries have been used less and less. Part of this is, of course, due to reductions in spending and opening hours in previous years. The tried and tested death by a thousand cuts approach.

But while some rationalisation was necessary, wholesale axing of all of the branches except Newbury (and there are bound to be cuts there as well) and the mobile libraries means the virtual elimination of library services in West Berks. And as Andy points out, most of those commenting that books can be found elsewhere probably haven't been near a library in months or years.

Anyway, that's all by-the-by because they're going and we'll never get them back. To be fair, my guess is that many Conservative councillors are pretty horrified by this, particularly as they're being forced to put up council tax. Having said that, whether they'll go to the lengths of cutting the huge hike in allowances they gave themselves or even reducing the number of councillors remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Richard 'Chocolate Teapot' Benyon has been given a £1.5M bribe not to vote against the government's local government settlement. He also brags on his Twitter feed about the council being allowed to keep business rates, but unless the timing has been changed this has been planned for some time but is not due to come into force until after the current parliament - after all the cuts have been made.

The bigger question, literally is precisely where are the rest of the massive cuts going to come from. Even with rate increases and the virtual elimination of the library service there is still an awful lot to find.

All well and good, but given the actions of Newbury Town Council, I'd argue that local Conservative tears are those normally associated with crocodiles.

If our local finances are ad bad as is suggested, we really cannot afford any ceremonial or to take on the cut functions; robbing Peter to pay Paul!

Richard Benyon has actually done pretty well; in spite of the behaviour of his local support. I have to say, if I'd been the Local Government Minister, I'm not sure I'd be believing a District is so strapped for cash if it can be talking about building an ice rink.

Can anyone justify the 'libraries are being used less and less' ? What are the visitor numbers? Or is the 'less and less' simply anecdotal?

The libraries I go into always seem well used so I presume some of it is anecdotal. The terrible thing is that these places are repositories of the knowledge and culture of our civilization and when the books are lost and the buildings sold off we will never ever get them back. Gone, for ever. What a loss to future generations and what a betrayal.

I doubt that there is any information in West Berkshire's libraries that is not already stored on-line.

I haven't used a library in years; I rarely even buy books any more, I use a laptop and a Kindle - neither of which involves levelling acres of forest in order to make paper.

A book, as apposed to newspapers are wonderful things as they lock up carbon for the lifetime of the book, the most environmentally friendly thing in the world (from a Co2) point of view is a library.

Oh dear!

Most of the local history collection isn't, for instance. Who wants that, particularly as Facebook has lots of people with good memories. And anyway, everything we need is in Wikipedia.

There is another benefit, Newbury Library would make a great cafe; lovely views across the canal and they'd be able to fit more customers in than the Museum.

Naw! Make a great McDonald's! From learning to obesity in one easy lesson.

Yes the only problem is we will have to build rather more houses than already proposed to keep viable a cafe in the library and the new 80 seater to be built in Vicky Park!
Still I suppose people would be able to leave their cars to nip in for a quick cuppa whilst waiting for the rare occasion that traffic actually moves on the A339 and that's now! Never mind when the new junction to Faraday Road holds things up even further, if that's possible, and all the local new proposed development is completed?

You're completely wrong on your first point but given your second point that's hardly surprising.

Re. e-book readers, I wouldn't be without one and find it a lot easier to read books and other documents on them, but I'm always surprised at how many books aren't available as e-books.

Anyway, no need to worry. If you don't think we should be spending money on libraries you're at one with David Cameron's Tories. By 2020 there will be very few left and the those that remain will be on their last legs. You'll then have to complain about spending on other things you know very little about.

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." Winston Churchill

Maybe, but clearly his performance as a minister was dire. Given the dross that Cameron has kept in his government, how bad must Benyon have been to get booted out?

He actually he resigned! The assessment of his ministerial performance, where he undertook a role where opinion is polarised, depended on which side of the debate you sit. There are a good many people on the country side of the debate who sincerely regret his going. There are rather a lot of roles like that these days. At the time we had a coalition in action, now if you really want dross...

So do trees if you don't de-forest

Wrong, Again! Why? Because trees have a natural life span which can be as little as forty years before they die. When a tree dies it falls and starts to return to the forest soil, part of this cycle means that all of the carbon dioxide locked into its structure as carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Its a balanced cycle which before we came along worked perfectly. However, books made from trees if stored can, in extreme cases, last for thousands of years thus locking that carbon in situ. Its about the only positive thing humany has ever done for the environment by accident.

I think that's a bit unfair ( and I'm not a Tory!) but I was hoping that he'd have more time for his constituency as a result. However it appears he's now taken on another job - see 'Employment & Earnings'.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/11727/ric...ewbury#register