High Court rules 'reluctant' library closures were unlawful

The attempted closure of 11 Somerset libraries has been ruled unlawful but county council leader Ken Maddock says the original decision was taken with "great reluctance".

He said the Conservative party "did not come into this administration wanting to close things, especially services as dear to people's hearts as our libraries," after the High Court ruling.

Mr Maddock added: "The decision was taken after great deliberation and with great reluctance. Our income is drastically down and at the same time the demand for our services is increasing. Our top priority is to provide a safety net for vulnerable children and adults. That is why we have to make savings and are looking at everything we do as a council."

Judge Martin McKenna said that while closing the libraries themselves was not illegal, Somerset and Gloucestershire councils had failed to consult properly and take into account equality issues.

Wells MP Tessa Munt said: "This is a great result in the long-running campaign to save our libraries from overly draconian cuts.

"It is a wake-up call to the county council leader that he has to consider the needs of vulnerable people first when making his decisions."

"The county council had one of the most generous settlements from the Government of any county in the country, and the leader's obsession with cutting services is a cynical drive to reduce perfectly manageable debt levels."

But James Goudie QC, who appeared for the councils, warned the authorities could make the same decisions again as financial pressures had not changed, and cuts could become more draconian. Gloria Cawood, shadow cabinet member for communities, called for the programme to be halted and the Conservatives to stop wasting taxpayers' money on legal fees.