Thin end of the wedge for the town's libraries if cuts continue

However, this is a false economy and appears to have been achieved only by slashing everyday services.

Potholes indicate how infrastructure has been allowed to deteriorate because the county council has not budgeted over many years to properly fund essential maintenance work.

Simply cutting library opening times is a blunt instrument and a knee-jerk reaction that will hit young and old alike in terms of providing education and information.

This is especially cruel in our town as Ham and River wards are two of the most deprived wards in West Sussex.

Unfortunately, cutting services is a typical reaction by a Conservative administration that will simply hit hardest those in our community least able to withstand such measures.

Let it not be confused that these proposals are for modernising services, for in reality it is for other reasons, such as the harmonisation of opening hours of libraries throughout the county.

This would be simply the thin end of the wedge for Littlehampton's library, leading to more than just nine hours a week being cut once fewer people are found to actually be able to use the library services due to the reduction in opening hours.

We would then see that such a downward spiral in the usage of library services will simply give the county council the ammunition it needs to further cut the library services in the future.

To sum up, the message that the current situation is unacceptable needs to be sent out loud and clear from the people of Littlehampton to those in the ivory towers in Chichester is no to potholes and no to library cuts!

Nick Wiltshire

leader of LibDem

group on Littlehampton Town Council

Kendal Close

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