Battle over library closures intensifies - Telegraph

Battle over library closures intensifies - Telegraph

By Martin Chilton, Digital Culture Editor

3:37PM GMT 13 Mar 2012

The government was today presented with a petition of 70,000 signatures against library closures collected by the Women's Institute.

Campaigners held a rally in London to coincide with a Parliamentary hearing by the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on library closures. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has agreed to demands to produce a report by 2014 assessing the impact of changes in the library service for "good or bad".

Shadow culture minister Dan Jarvis claimed his opposite number faced becoming the "Dr Beeching of libraries" - a reference to Richard Beeching, who was behind the closure of many railway routes. Read more:

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey says there will be a report into library service as government is handed petition and he is branded 'Dr Beeching of libraries'.

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