Sir, – Bravo! Great Ayton residents who turned out in their hundreds to the public meeting last Thursday.

Bravo! The school children that presented their letters at the meeting. Bravo! Author G P Taylor for supporting the stay-open campaign and for speaking so passionately at the gathering.

Bravo! All those who stood up and asked a question, or said their piece. Bravo!

Great Ayton Parish Council which is giving its wholehearted support.

The message that everyone conveyed to the county council officials is that the library is an essential part of our village life and must not be allowed to close.

As a nation, we have difficult times ahead with rising unemployment.

In these circumstances, the library and its facilities will be of paramount importance, particularly for those without a job.

The Government has presented county councils with a difficult task with many savings having to be made to most services. Evidently, the share of the pain for library services is a cut of 28 per cent. However, the council is failing to appreciate that services at the point of delivery must be the very last thing to be touched. North Yorkshire residents are entitled to ask whether the administration has really been trimmed at all levels in order to make effective savings.

Consideration has been made in the past to abolishing the seven district councils and replacing them with a unitary authority. Surely the time has arrived to look again at this idea. We do not expect county councillors to shy away from such costcutting decisions, no matter how painful it may be to the cosy administrations we have at present.

RICHARD STAINSBY John Pease Cottages, Great Ayton.