WYRE Forest libraries face relocation, space sharing and cuts to staff and opening hours as Worcestershire County Council looks to slash £1.8 million from its budget.

The council’s cabinet will tomorrow discuss proposals to move Stourport Library into the civic centre and Bewdley Library to the museum and guildhall complex site. The plan for Kidderminster Library is to integrate other services under the same roof.

Furthermore, 28 to 30 full time equivalent library staff will be cut from across the county, equating to 712 staff hours.

The changes form part of a business plan aimed at saving 28 per cent or £1.8 million from the libraries and learning service by 2015.

The reduction in opening hours and staffing levels will save £620,000 in line with the expectation of the county council’s BOLD (Better Outcomes, Lean Delivery) target for library services for 2012/2013.

Conservative John Campion, the county council's cabinet member for localism and communities, said: "The libraries and learning service is no different from most county council services in having to make significant savings over the next few years.

“But as with those other services, we are trying to be more creative and innovative in how we go about achieving this and rather than simply cutting and closing services, we are proposing ideas which we hope will help maintain a comprehensive library service across the county for local people to access."