MPs probe threat to libraries

Senior MPs have launched an inquiry into the impact of library closures on local communities.

Hundreds of libraries, including dozens in London, are threatened by public spending cuts. The culture, media and sport committee will look at whether planned closures are compatible with the 1964 Libraries and Museums Act, which requires councils to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" service.

Tory member Louise Mensch, a best-selling novelist under the name Louise Bagshawe, said: "Reading is so fundamental to education that it is right to look at how cuts are affecting provision and what the service should look like in the modern age."