UNLIKE in recent months, there were no loud protests on the steps of the Civic Offices prior to Wednesday’s cabinet meeting on libraries.

But the mood in the chamber left the council in no doubt that the fight to secure a future for as many of the town’s smaller libraries as possible will go on.

Somewhat resigned to the inevitability of large scale reductions in the core library provision, the campaign’s focus shifted in recent months to securing ongoing council funding for Park library.

That goal was accomplished, and now their focus is shifting again to the detail of the proposals and what that means for the remaining ten branch libraries.

Sarah Church, who has led the Save Swindon’s Libraries campaign in their fight against the cuts, said: “In spite of two national calls for intervention to the Secretary of State for Culture, and work by MPs and campaigners to look at alternatives, the cabinet members offered scant analysis and no debate on the issue - it was sadly a foregone conclusion.

“Timeframes are extremely tight for parish councils and community groups to find the money and means to keep their libraries open.”

Campaigners have often accused the council of being unable to look beyond the spreadsheet when it comes to the role that libraries play in the wider community.

They argue that a simple cost analysis with a view to savings fails to take into account the burden that losing community libraries will place on other council resources – most notably the already stretched adult social care budget.

Sarah Church added: “The human cost of the library closures in Swindon will also bring a financial burden, but the council has no means or will to model or mitigate this.

“Ultimately, cutting funding to universal services will increase the need for acute services - the expensive ones - and Swindon will forever be chasing its tail.

“The good news is that the hard work of campaigners alongside Task Group members has resulted in Park Library being included in the core provision, safe from the axe for now.

“Save Swindon’s Libraries wishes the library staff a very Merry Christmas and thanks them for their continued dedication in the face of staff cuts.

“Campaigning in support of the non-core libraries will continue since each one serves a community that does not deserve to lose its access to these treasured public spaces.”

You can read our full report of last night's meeting here.