The closure of East Finchley library and its children’s library is wrong, unjust, ungrateful and short-sighted.

It strikes me that this has been decided by someone who has no first-hand experience of raising young children from birth through to primary school age, no sensitive awareness that a baby teaches us to value the activity depending on each other and no understanding of the impact of poverty on young children’s ability to learn.

The experience I want to emphasise is that of a parent and child looking together at picture books and reading nursery rhymes because young children will not thrive if these two activities are not done over and over again within a warm-hearted, generous and playful relationship. Without sensitive and intelligent care no child can learn to think, speak and behave in a reasonable way.

The development of a child’s language depends on a vast supply of picture books because each child has their own unique and different interests. There can be no list of prescribed books, just the simple rule of more choice is better.

Only a small minority of parents can afford to buy a vast number of children’s books. The productions and sale of picture books continues to thrive. Population analysis shows that there are many families on low income who cannot afford picture books, even though East Finchley contains Bishops Avenue, which is one of the richest roads in the country.

Raising child is a social activity which depends on the availability of a few essential groups, parent and toddle groups, friends and libraries. The children’s library is a lovely example of a place that offers a formal group and informal group at the same time.

Children from Martin Primary School, Holy Trinity Primary School and Oak Lodge, a secondary school for all of Barnet’s children with learning disabilities, visit the library once a week. Holy Trinity are more intensely dependent because it has turned its own library into a classroom. In addition, teenagers from five state secondary schools use the library – Bishop Douglas, Christ College, Archer Academy, Compton and Fortismere.

Every single library closure has been wrong. Every single cut in public spending has been counterproductive because it deliberately ignores the economic truth that providing welfare creates multiple public goods.

Finally, caring well depends on having the right mindset, a mindset that recognises the difference between a public service that deals with intangible purposes and a commercial enterprise that deals with material goods.

Andrew Wilks

Hertford Road, East Finchley