A RESIDENT of St John’s has launched a petition against cuts to services at the local library.

The library at Glebe Close has been condemned as one of the least value for money in a report presented to the Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet last month.

And cuts to the library opening hours are one of the steps that the county council is mulling as it tries to save £800,000.

But Christopher Gallantree-Smith says that the library is a vital part of the St John's community, which cannot be cut without harming the community, and has started a petition opposing the cuts, which in just a few days has accumulated about 200 signatures.

He said: "To reduce or abolish its use as a library and a focal point in St John's would be an act of cultural and social vandalism which the county council would be well-advised to reconsider.

"The services which the library offers go beyond the simple act of borrowing a book. There are many in the community whose lives would be much the poorer should it be closed or its services restricted.

"What the library does in the community cannot be brought down to simple pounds and pence.

"Many thousands of people are very grateful for the services it has provided."

He said that for parents and children, the library is the venue for term-time parent-and-toddler sessions, a baby-weighing clinic, and a song-and-story group.

Library staff also visit local schools to encourage children to visit it, and is provides volunteering opportunities for young people as part of a Duke of Edinburgh learning scheme.

Mr Gallantree-Smith said: "Should cuts or closure go ahead, I doubt very much that the county council would provide a replacement for these valuable children's services."

He said the library is also a centre for activities and services for adults. Rooms can hired for the use of groups playing chess and other games, it provides a venue for U3A groups and for a film club and computer courses for adult learners.

He said: "If cuts are to be made, I would urge the county councillors themselves to consider cuts to their own allowances and reconsider their ideas in the light of the value - other than monetary - of the library to the community."

He said that if the council is looking to raise money it should run the cafe on a more commercial basis, perhaps by offering it to an operator such as Costa.

The petition is available for anyone to sign at St John's Post Office, King Charles Place, St John's.