Merton Libraries charge children for late return of their library books. I believe this has an impact on children accessing and enjoying books at their library as parents are anxious about the extortionate daily fees. No other borough that I have been a library member of has charged children and they will usually put the card on hold if the books have been out for a long time. Even though Merton borough has automated emails and texts to remind users to renew or return books, I recently stopped receiving these emails for no apparent reason and I inadvertently forgot to renew my childs books. To give an example my daughter has now racked up a £35 fine and her card is blocked until it is paid. £35 is a significant amount from anyones budget. We all have busy lives and so many things to remember and will at some point forget or not be able to return a book. In addition we pay one of the highest levels of council tax and parking costs compared to neighbouring boroughs and penalising our children feels like another huge cost. We are now considering not using our local library anymore as we are not relaxed about borrowing books and will go further afield to neighbouring boroughs who do not charge children. This is a real shame as our local libraries are a community space that enrich our learning.