LIBRARIES in Worcestershire could be shared with police or relocated to schools as part of a plan to avoid them closing.

Bosses at the county council have insisted they will “not do a Gloucestershire” and are on track to avoid any shutting down.

The council wants to cut £1.8 million from the libraries budget, 28 per cent of the total, by culling staff, reducing opening hours and sharing facilities with other bodies.

A report is due out in October outlining firm plans, and talks are currently under way about the future of all of them.

Councillor John Campion, cabinet member for localism and communities, said: “I want to make sure all options are explored for each library, which is making it very time-intense and has led to some dead ends, but that’s not a sign of weakness, it shows we are doing the right thing.

"We don’t want to go down the Gloucestershire route, which is all about salami slicing.

"This whole thing started off as a gloomy project but it’s getting more exciting.”

Options revealed in an in-house report yesterday show how negotiations are taking place across Worcestershire.

Malvern Library is expected to be beefed up into a “hub” with a range of new facilities, which could link with the district council.

In Stourport, the library could be moved to the civic centre and shared with the town council, in Catshill it could be relocated to the village’s middle school, and in Broadway the police are considering sharing the building.

All the options are still being finalised, with more expected to emerge.

Neil Anderson, head of culture and community, said: “Closing them down is not something the cabinet wants to do.

"Libraries in Worcestershire will evolve, but they will stay open.

"We genuinely think our motives are right and that we are engaging with communities. It would be easy to close some and take the flak, but that isn’t what this is about.”

The cuts, which include up to 30 job losses, could also lead to volunteers being recruited.

In Gloucestershire 10 libraries were earmarked for closure last year, which led to angry campaigners challenging it at the High Court.