SOUTH Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson has expressed his opposition to the prospect that Kinver library could being run entirely by community volunteers.

The proposal has been put forward by Staffordshire County Council as they look to trim £1.3million off their budget.

Kinver is one of a number of libraries in South Staffordshire earmarked to be run by community groups.

But Mr Williamson is campaigning to see that libraries within his constituency continue to be professionally staffed and is seeking an urgent meeting with council leaders to obtain assurances.

He fears library staff jobs will be at risk if proposals get the go-ahead.

The MP said: "Libraries are an important part of the community, especially for young and elderly people. They are often the centre and hub of a local community.

"While I welcome moves to keep all the current libraries open and also involve volunteers, I do believe there needs to be some type of professional oversight.

"For this plan to be feasible and for our libraries to continue to be run efficiently, we need at least one professional librarian to act as a co-ordinator over each one.

"Libraries are extremely important to many local people and many residents rely heavily on their local library service, whether it be access to the internet or to borrow expensive books.

"While I commend any viable plan to keep these libraries open, I think we also need to ensure the scheme is sustainable in the long term and the service provided does not suffer."