EVERY week the Guardian carries a report of a threat to, reduction of, or actual closure of a public service.

Last week (November 9) it was threats to local libraries and to Macclesfield Hospital’s A&E department.

Over the country nearly 400 libraries have closed and 8,000 jobs lost over the past few years. Our regional health authorities are being told to reduce spending by £900 million in the next four years.

I’m afraid the finger has to be pointed at our local MP George Osborne. While Chancellor he instigated the policy of “austerity”

that we are still living with, which has decimated public services across the country and put local authorities under almost impossible financial pressure.

Last week’s issue also reported CEC desperately trying to balance the books, as Government funding continues to be cut from £40m this year to zero by 2020.

We all know that the financial crash of 2008 precipitated a recession that had to be managed, but there are lessons from history that were just ignored. It was shown during the 1930s, both intellectually and practically, that you can’t cut your way out of a recession.

As a result this country has had the slowest recovery from any recession since the war. And what has austerity done for our EU neighbours who also embraced it?

Quite.

I see that Mr Osborne is only too keen to take the credit for getting fast broadband to Ollerton. I wonder if he will also take credit for the children’s services that have already closed in and around Knutsford and as and when we lose our precious library and A&E services?

Geoff Holman Leycester Road Knutsford