HAMPSHIRE County Council has warned of “significant budget reductions” to library funding.

Savings proposals worth nearly £2.5 million from the library and countryside services budget form part of a raft of measures to address the council’s anticipated £80 million shortfall by April 2021.

The council said it will have to “think creatively” about what library customers want. This might include closures, reductions to opening times, or relocations.

Councillor Seán Woodward said: “A significant part of the savings proposals relates to library services, amounting to £1.7m. This represents 16 per cent of the overall budget for the service, but still means that a budget of around £10 million would remain for library services.

“I want to be clear that we’re absolutely committed to ensuring that Hampshire residents have access to good library services, which we know are valued.”

He said at this stage the proposals “do not include detailed plans for any specific library” as “these will come later as part of a public consultation”.