ANY prospect of Keighley Library and the town's Cliffe Castle Museum closing was always going to create a furore.

To lose one would be a disaster, but to have neither would be catastrophic beyond words.

Both are shining jewels in a crown which is already seeing its sparkle diminish, with the sale of another invaluable facility in the town – the police station.

Bradford Council bosses have vowed that "there are no plans" to shut the library or the museum, but frankly the statement will provide little comfort to concerned members of the public.

The local authority this week revealed that it needs to save £30 million over the next two years and conceded that libraries and museums and galleries would be among those hardest hit.

Together, the services face having about £1.2m slashed from their budgets.

Assuming closure is avoided, it's almost inevitable that the way in which both the library and Cliffe Castle are run in the future will take on a very different look.

We've already seen some libraries in the district, and in neighbouring North Yorkshire, 'adopted' by teams of volunteers.

That could well form part of the next chapter in Keighley.

But whatever happens in the coming months, and it's going to be a difficult period with many tough decisions to be made, it's essential that more than lip service is paid to the views of the public.