Easiest way to cut library expenditure is to slash book spending

The easiest way to cut public library expenditure in the short-term is to reduce the amount of money spent on new books, according to Warwickshire's head of libraries.

However, dramatically reducing new book buying will cause serious problems for libraries further down the line, Ayub Khan claimed.

Speaking to the Bookseller, Khan claimed that reducing new book procurement will see libraries fall out of favour with their users and this is likely to hasten their decline.

'It's not going to hit the headlines, and it's not immediately obvious. It's about two years down the line before it makes an impact. But it results in a slow death for library services as fewer people use the service,' Khan told the news provider.

Just this week, White Teeth author Zadie Smith's campaign to prevent the closure of Kensal Rise library in Brent failed as councillors voted in favour of shutting six libraries in the borough.

The decision was described as 'sad' by author and fellow campaigner Philip Pullman.