AT the meeting of Tavistock Town Council properties committee on January 30 I urged that the presence of the Subscription Library in Court Gate should not be allowed to hinder the use of those premises by the council as a replacement for Drake Road.

In the course of the debate I described myself as a member of the library. Since then a letter from the secretary of the library, John Gale, to the Times on February 15 has claimed that I am a 'lapsed' member and a further published letter from the organiser of the Writer's Group, John Tunnicliffe, has repeated that claim — in essence that I misled the council. When I spoke to them they supported their accusation on the grounds that I had not paid my subscription and was therefore not a member.

I have to tell you that their claims are quite untrue.

To his credit, John Gale has now sent me a letter describing his error as 'unforgivable' and I am happy to accept his apology and take no further action.

I await an apology from John Tunnicliffe.

I will not dwell on his sneer that I prefer 'the passive entertainment of television to the activity necessary in reading' and his claim that 'English Heritage spent a great deal of money on restoring the Subscription Library'. Those who know me and the history of Court Gate will be aware of the truth.

Meanwhile, I am happy to repeat my view, accurately reported in the Times on February 22 that the Subscription Library should not close but become open to all, ideally in the premises of the new public library.

Councillor John Wright

Tavistock