The shadow media and culture minister insists that libraries provide a ‘crucial service’ for everyone

Labour politicians and campaigners have condemned the head of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council for suggesting that public libraries are primarily used by the white middle classes

The controversial comments were made by Roy Clare, the council’s chief executive, who argued that the service should not be preserved in “aspic”.

Gloria De Piero, the shadow minister for media and culture, said: “I hope the government will condemn these remarks. As libraries minister, Ed Vaizey has been strangely silent on the fact that hundreds of libraries are under threat of closure. Libraries provide a particularly crucial service to mums with toddlers, pensioners and the one in five people who do not have the internet at home and need their local library to look for jobs.”

De Piero, who says she is still waiting for a reply to a letter she wrote to Vaizey in December, points out that the minister made a speech last summer in which he set out the continued value of local libraries. Speaking to a conference of librarians in London, Vaizey said: “Libraries have an enviable network of estate and expertise and a tribe of incredibly diverse and passionate customers; 325 million visits were made to libraries last year and an additional 113 million visits online.”

De Piero added: “Almost 80% of 11- to 15-year-olds visit a library and children’s borrowing continues to increase year on year. For many areas of the country there are tremendous success stories as library visits increase during the recession.”

Almost 400 libraries nationwide are already threatened with closure, and the total could reach an estimated 800. Clare’s organisation, which “promotes best practice” in libraries, is also to be axed this year.

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