Springwatch presenter against library cuts

BBC TV Springwatch presenter Chris Packham has spoken out and signed a petition against proposed cuts at his local library. Packham, 51, was speaking about proposals to reduce the number of hours by half at Cobbett Road Library in Southampton, Hampshire, as part of spending cuts by the city council.

He said "I read, revised, plotted and schemed; I dreamed and devised a life in those semi-silent rooms - and now libraries are so, so much more: Cobbett Road Library is many things to many people of all ages and all walks of life, and such draconian cuts and closures will be ruinous in so many ways.

"This place has become a real focus for a rich community of children and adults alike. We need all our libraries to be strengthened, to be better resourced and better funded, we need them open longer hours - not fewer."

Southampton City Council says the alternative to a reduction of hours at the library would be the closure of the centre.