Are you suggesting Lewisham council had much choice about this?
Or all the other councils that are taking similar actions?

The council don't get any credit here for sure, but even the most hardened Libdem would surely acknowledge the Government's fierce cutbacks as a large factor in any summing up of events.

It might be that regardless of cuts, secretly the council were always going to trade the costs of running a swimming pool (they did not want to provide) against the costs of staffing the library. I can believe that if that is what you are hinting.

If it had been clear that was the choice we were making - between semi clothed lifeguards or bespectacled librarians, then sorry I'm with the librarians every time, although I can understand those who feel the opposite, and Smiths fans who might have mixed feelings. Didn't they write a song about that?