Shadow Culture Minister, Dan Jarvis, has responded to the announcement that Arts Council England and the Local Government Association have launched the Libraries Development Initiative.

The Barnsley MP explained, “I welcome the announcement from Arts Council England and the LGA and their commitment to injecting UK Library projects with £200,000.

“Despite a notable silence and lack of leadership from Ed Vaizey, libraries remain vital for local communities and we must do all that we can to protect them.

“Whilst I welcome all added resources into libraries, the reality is, the £200,000 investment today, will only help 10 library projects and the investment is only for one year. With over 600 set to close across Britain in the next few years, this simply isn’t enough investment.”