And we nearly closed more than half of them in our area. They’d been told that they can raise the funds to keep going themselves, but that the government would no longer cover costs. They had the notices up that they were closing.

But then COVID happened. When they opened back up after lockdown, the notices were all gone, and they were stocked with an astonishing amount of new books - I think the entire kids sections had been bought new.

So I don’t know the ins and outs of what went on there, but it was one of the better decisions this government has made. A library is so important to so many people - it’s not just the books, it’s the computers, magazines, heating, social groups, and so on.

Even if they made nothing, the cultural value of libraries makes them essential.