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Shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey has accused his opposite number Andy Burnham of "ignoring his responsibilities as secretary of state" by refusing to intervene in the library closures in the Wirral.
Burnham last week told the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) that he "is not minded at this stage to investigate further or intervene" in Wirral, where the council intends to close 11 libraries, nearly half its service.
Vaizey said: "Andy Burnham's refusal to take action in the Wirral effectively renders the 1964 Public Libraries Act meaningless. While it is local authorities' responsibility to provide libraries, the Act very clearly lays responsibility for ensuring a good service at the culture secretary's door. It Andy Burnham is not prepared to intervene when library provision is slashed in a local authority such as the Wirral, it is clear that he is ignoring his responsibilities as secretary of state, which in the process renders any sense of libraries being a statutory requirement for local authorities meaningless."