Although many would associate the 19th century with much that was dark, dirty and downright bad, it has to be said that there was also a concern for education and social mobility. The 1850 Public Libraries Act was a product of this and thus borough councils were given the power to establish free access to public libraries. The over 4000 libraries that exist today in Britain owe their origins to this act.
In the more recent library act of 1964, the language seems to have changed slightly as now “Councils have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons.” One wonders if the enthusiasm for libraries was waning by this time and councils were being pulled in all directions with regard to what they could or would fund in times of financial stringency.
It does make me question how councils are allowed to close libraries but I suppose neither Act states how many libraries a council must provide per head of population.