You report (Ludlow Advertiser, May 19), that Shropshire Council proposes to close Ludlow library unless it can be transferred to Ludlow Town Council. Not surprisingly, the latter recognises that it does not have the resources necessary to take the library on. This confirms the utter folly of building such a large and complex structure in the first place. If we still had just a simple town library the town council (or perhaps an independent voluntary group) would probably be able to take it on, whereas they could never cope with the great white elephant that the county council inflicted on us.

There are two important questions to raise now. Firstly, who will be held to account for this dreadful waste of taxpayers’ money, and for the “financial crisis” that you report has led to the fiasco? Secondly, is it too much to hope that the only silver lining in this very black cloud will be the demolition of that hideous building?

Cllr Graeme Perks’ point that Shropshire Council has pocketed substantial sums from the sale of former South Shropshire District Council assets also highlights the predictable consequences of losing SSDC. The town’s voice at County Hall is far too small to prevent this asset-stripping.

It is clear that Ludlow must work out how to fend for itself if we are to have public amenities in future.

Elizabeth Woodall

Ludlow