It is a joy to serve when you are chairing, Mr Turner. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East on securing this debate. He reminds us of his campaign for playgrounds, and I am sure that he will continue to be equally committed to the campaign that he is on with libraries. The hon. Member points out and underlines the richness, to which my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East drew attention, of the role that libraries play in their communities. My hon. Friend talked about libraries in his constituency, especially Charminster library. I want to take this opportunity to strongly agree with those of his constituents who have sung the praises of public libraries, the value of which he so ably demonstrated in his speech. It is rare to find someone who does not believe that libraries are important to their communities. Public libraries open up opportunity by democratising access to information and knowledge. They level the playing field by providing spaces for study and reflection. A local library is a very special place. It is a place of potential in every sense of the word by introducing children to the world of reading, shaping young minds through Baby Rhyme Time and giving agency and choice to young readers—no book is the wrong book—but also by helping people of all ages to develop wider skills and, in particular, digital skills, supporting people to access the huge expanse of the digital world we now live in. Libraries provide inspiration, education and entertainment for many thousands of people every week. In particular, the act of reading expands our minds, opens up our thinking and makes us more tolerant. Public libraries are funded through the local government finance settlement. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of its local communities and designing library services to meet those needs within its available resources. We recognise the financial pressures facing local authorities after 14 years of Conservative cuts. This Government are committed to restoring the stability of council funding, but there cannot be cuts of that scale over that period without a significant impact on services, including public library provision. The most recent local government finance settlement is our most significant step yet towards making English local government more sustainable. We are delivering fair funding, targeting money where it is needed most. We are delivering the first multi-year settlement in a decade, simplifying an unprecedented 38 revenue funding streams worth almost £57 billion over three years. That should provide greater stability, certainty and flexibility for local authorities. The people of Charminster are clear about how they feel about their local library, and they want their council to make quicker progress to find a long-term solution to its closure. We hope the council hears that passion and the value that its residents place on the library, and weighs that in the balance as it makes the necessary decisions. My hon. Friend also specifically asked about the Government's superintendence responsibilities. It is for the local council to determine how it will meet its statutory duty to deliver a comprehensive, efficient library service. The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport has the statutory duty to superintend that provision in England, but we expect any council to be able to justify its decisions and to be clear about how local need has shaped the service in order to comply with the duty. Our guidance on libraries as a statutory service provides local authorities with clarity on their statutory responsibility. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport encourages local authorities that are considering making changes to their service to inform it about their proposals before public engagement or consultation. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, DCMS directly engaged with 40 local authorities, which involved 62 conversations either in person or virtually. None of those conversations took place with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has a statutory power to intervene by way of local inquiry if she considers that a local authority is not providing a comprehensive, efficient library service. She takes that role seriously, and should a complaint be made, Ministers will challenge the local council and carefully consider evidence before deciding if a local inquiry is needed. I can certainly take my hon. Friend's request for the Libraries Minister to meet him and a delegation of Charminster library users back to the Department. My hon. Friend is right to say that the library is a vital community hub; we have heard other Members underline that point.