There was no immediate response from representatives of the artist. The deputy mayor, Asher Craig, who is responsible for libraries, said Banksy was one of a number of people who had been in touch with the council. There is nothing signed and delivered and so far it is just a conversation that we had.” “He has come forward and talked about supporting us and we will see how that plays itself out. Rees cautioned against rumours before saying: “It’s just that a very well-known person from Bristol wrote in and asked us the nature of the challenge and to outline what support we need as a city to meet that challenge, and that person was Banksy. The artist’s offer was revealed during a council cabinet meeting, according to local reports, when the mayor was asked if there was any truth to rumours that a philanthropist had stepped forward to help libraries in Bristol. It is understood the Banksy’s conversation with Bristol mayor Marvin Rees was not about money but about the current options for the library service, and his thoughts on how organisations and individuals could help. The future of 17 out of 27 libraries had been uncertain due to £1.4m of proposed cuts, though the council recently announced a reprieve.
