Gloucestershire libraries review bid rejected

The authority's budget is due to be set at a full council meeting on Wednesday

An attempt to challenge Gloucestershire County Council's plans to cut library services has been rejected.

The county's Liberal Democrats mounted a bid to review the move on Friday.

The Conservative-controlled council's overview and scrutiny management committee held an extraordinary meeting on Monday and decided the original decision to cut services was fair.

The authority's budget is due to be set at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the cabinet approved plans to save £114m over four years.

The proposals would see 1,000 job cuts, 22 youth centres and 10 libraries facing closure if communities are unable to run them.

The council has said it wants to hand the libraries to volunteers.

A council spokeswoman said previously: "We acknowledge that libraries are important to some in our communities, but this must be seen in the wider context of the very difficult issues that face the council."

Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries spoke of its disappointment that the review bid was dismissed.

A spokeswoman for the group, whose petition to save the libraries attracted about 12,000 signatures, said: "So what next?

"We have used every democratic tool we have, the only remaining one is the ballot box, but by then it will be too late to save our public library service."