A CAMPAIGN group has been formed to fight against plans to drastically cut Gloucestershire’s library service.

Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries (FGL) is battling proposals by Gloucestershire County Council to cut library services by 43 per cent as part of its plans to save £108million over the next four years.

Under the proposals, opening hours and facilities will be cut at 18 libraries and 11 libraries are earmarked for closure unless volunteers come forward to take them over.

Concerned library user Demelza Jones, of FGL, said the library service costs the county council just 1.45 per cent of its annual budget and the severe cuts would save GCC just 2 percent of the £108million.

She said the Cotswolds stood to be as badly affected by the cuts as Cheltenham and Gloucester with six libraries hit under the new plans.

Under the proposals, libraries at Fairford, Tetbury and Chipping Campden will become ‘Library Express’ branches. Opening hours would be reduced to three and a half days a week and a smaller range of stock.

Moreton-in-Marsh and Bourton-on-the-Water will become ‘Library Links’, where a small book selection will be available on a ‘self-service’ basis only, with greatly reduced opening hours.

Lechlade library will become community-run, relying on volunteers to run it and the community to pay for it.

"The meeting the challenge consultation exercise, used by the council to justify these cuts, was participated in by less than one per cent of people-hardly a mandate for such sweeping measures," said Mrs Jones.

"We believe the council’s plans are disproportionate and will irreparably damage a well-loved, well-used and widely beneficial service for very little in the way of financial return.

"We think that proposals for volunteers to run libraries with a total absence of paid or qualified staff are unrealistic, and will result in affected libraries offering a much reduced service or even closing completely."

Councillor Antonia Noble, GCC cabinet member for libraries, said the strategy for Gloucestershire focuses on working closely with communities. She added that GCC talked to Buckinghamshire about their experience of community-run libraries which demonstrated it could be a successful model.

"Our community offer includes start-up grants, attractive peppercorn rents and up to 50 per cent asset share, as well as expertise to help people to get started," she said.

"We have already had many groups in the county come forward to say they are interested and we would like to hear from more."

For more information about FGL go to foclibrary.wordpress.com. The group is keen to hear from other local library campaigns.