EVEN Swindon public library will not be closed after all. That is the good news. The bad news is how on earth it came to be included on the hitlist in the first place.

The council has to find savings if it is to keep any tax rise for the next financial year within the Government's guidelines. We accept that. We also accept that tough decisions are called for and any pinch always inflicts a certain amount of pain.

But we do expect cost-cutting strategies that cause such an upheaval within the community to be underpinned by logic.

Even Swindon library is less than a year old. It is housed in the splendid, modern facilities of the local community centre. Computers have just been installed, demonstrating planning for the future. Overheads for the council are minimal. Lending is twice that of other libraries in the town that are open double the hours. In other words, it is a success story. A great read!

Only a council of a town founded on the locomotive industry could be so loco as to even think about pulling the Pullman service!

Let us hope there is more coherence in policy when the council cabinet comes cleans with its intended budget next Wednesday.

Even Swindon is the one that got away because we heard about it in time. Other soft targets may not be so lucky.