PLANS to cut opening hours at all Oxfordshire's libraries by either ten or 15 per cent have been given the go-ahead.

Under the plans, put forward by Tom Forrest, the county council's director of leisure and arts, 35 libraries will see their hours cut by 15 per cent, starting at the beginning of July.

The eight largest libraries - Oxford's Central Library, Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot, Henley, Wantage and Witney - will only suffer a ten per cent cut in opening hours.

Mr Forrest yesterday told members of the museums, arts, libraries and leisure urgency sub-committee: "The difference can be justified in the sense that these eight account for approximately 70 per cent of our activity, in terms of lending, inquiries, number of issues, and in terms of income generated. The higher the level of cut to opening hours the more danger there is of losing that very valuable income to the library service."

The alternative to a cut across the board was a Conservative proposal to inflict varying hours reductions which would have meant libraries of a similar size, serving a similar population, all opening for the same length of time. At present libraries of the same size do not necessarily open for the same number of hours.

Chris Tatton, chairman of the Friends of Charlbury Library group, said he was relieved that the Tory proposal had been voted down by other sub-committee members. Charlbury Library opens for 18 hours a week at the moment but makes only 28 book issues an hour. Similar-sized libraries, like for example the one at Milton-under-Wychwood, make 45 issues an hour but are only open for 14 hours a week.

Mr Tatton said: "We were in the frame for a 33 per cent cut and we're now very pleased that we've got our fair share - 15 per cent."

Nina Sutton, who represents library staff for trade union Unison, said: "It is the best of a bad job but in an ideal world there wouldn't be any cuts.

"Library use now is increasing with school projects and that sort of thing and this is cutting down the time students can get to libraries."

Under the proposals:

Central Library will see its opening hours cut from 54.5 a week to 49 a week

Abingdon and Banbury will go from 45 hours a week to 40.5 hours a week

Witney and Didcot will be cut from 41 to 37 hours

Bicester, Wantage and Henley will go from 37.5 hours to 33.5 hours

The smallest libraries, like North Leigh and Stonesfield - now open for 11 hours a week - will be cut to nine hours a week.

By saving on staff salaries and the equivalent of 14 full-time job losses the reduction in opening hours will save the county council £165,000 a year. In 1998/99 the fund for buying new books will also be cut by about one-fifth, and one of the county's eight mobile libraries will go to meet the need for further savings.

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