A 10,000-signature petition protesting at planned cuts to Gloucestershire library service is due to be handed to Gloucestershire County Council today.
The petition organised by Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries (FOGL) was launched last month in opposition to the council’s proposals to slash the library budget by 43 per cent, which could lead to the closure of 11 libraries in the county if no community volunteers step forward to run them.
The campaign has won the backing of celebrities such as Cotswold novelist Joanna Trollope.
By achieving more than 5,000 signatures, the petition, which is due to be handed to GCC’s scrutiny team at 3pm today, means the proposed library cuts will have to be debated before final budget decisions are made.
FOGL chairman Johanna Anderson said: “The support we’ve received has been tremendous.We believe that cutting the already small budget for the library service will not have any meaningful impact on budgets for other services.”
An online version of the petition is available to sign at http://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=8 until the Thursday, February 17.
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