BRANCH libraries, swimming lessons, clothes for deprived youngsters and school meals will all be hit by swingeing cuts to Bolton's cash-strapped education budget.

Councillors gave the cuts the go-ahead in a bid to cut £2.6m from the council's biggest spending committee.

The cutbacks mean four branch libraries must close along with seven jobs, and £100,000 will be cut from the swimming programme budget - which will mean cutting the number of lessons by two thirds and result in job losses.

Slicing a massive £194,000 from the school clothing budget will mean many of the borough's disadvantaged parents will be unable to buy cheaper school and PE clothes for their children. Cuts to the Community Education and Youth Services will have a direct impact on the level of provision for adults and teenagers.

A special meeting of the Education and Arts Committee yesterday agreed the cuts and councillors rubber stamped the closure of Kearsley, Great Lever, Deane and Brazley libraries.

Education Committee chairman Cllr Don Eastwood said:"This decision was not taken lightly.

"We have done our utmost to protect the service and our staff but we can no longer contain the reductions and we are unfortunately being forced into a position where branches will have to close to meet budget targets. This is something which is very painful. "I only wish there was another way to contain the savings we have to make but the council has to find cuts of just over £7m from the 1997-98 budget to meet Government spending ceilings.

"The library's share is £100,000. We have held talks with staff and union representatives but closures are our only real option from the savings we examined."

Yesterday's agreed closures come just four years after cuts in opening hours prompted an outcry across the borough.

Commenting on the cuts, Mrs Kathleen Ryan, Bolton's Chief Librarian, said she expected a great deal of anger but added it was hoped the borough's mobile library could be re-routed to stop the gaps in provision.

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