Harrow Borough Council talks about needing to tackle deprivation in the borough.

The closure of institutions such as Harrow Arts Centre, Harrow Museum and our libraries would be counter-productive to this argument. These facilities culturally enrich our communities and make the borough a more enjoyable and attractive place to live.

It is shameful for the council to consider closing our libraries. As well as offering a wide selection of materials to borrow, they provide activities for our children such as story time and holiday reading schemes, which are instrumental in aiding literacy and language by promoting a passion for reading. This is a lifelong habit that should be encouraged.

Do we really need libraries today? Send in your views here.

If the council insists on closing these important facilities, what are its plans on utilising the sites? Would we, the residents, have any say in this? Can the council guarantee that its actions would not be detrimental to the local areas concerned?

Councils of different political persuasions come and go, but it will be the residents of Harrow who will suffer the long-term consequences of the council’s decisions.

Councillor Grahame Henson talks about the budget shortfall ‘being imposed by the Conservative Government (“We have removed admin costs” Your Views, October 23). Although it is very disappointing that cuts are taking place, those of us in the real world don’t rely on the assumptions that budgets are guaranteed year on year and it it is good to see the council is identifying cost-savings ‘in-house’ in the first instance.

It would also be more admirable if the council put aside the party politics to focus its energy on the most important matters — the needs of all its constituents.

J Shah

Kenton resident