Can I reassure readers that contrary to your report (‘Council considers selling libraries and allotments’, Times Series, September 2), the council has no intention of selling buildings to plug a hole in council budgets.

While the council does face deep challenges in developing our budget for the coming years, the draft paper you refer to is not intended to support our day-to-day funding of services. The council’s response to the cuts in Government funding will come in due course and we are not relying on the selling off of assets.

We are looking at a property strategy that gives us buildings we need to provide quality services in the right location and the best long-term value. This will include both buying and selling property and, hopefully, sharing properties with other organisations. A strategy of sales and targeted investment is exactly the model Barnet Council used when we developed our primary school improvement programme.

I am sure readers who have children attending the Northway Special School, Whitings Hill School, Broadfields School and Fairway School, will appreciate the scheme’s value.

Councillor Daniel Thomas, cabinet member for resources and performance