AN OSWESTRY and Shropshire councillor has reassured people that the county's libraries are staying put.

After Shropshire Libraries encouraged residents across the county to take part in surveys about library services during October and November, a number of local residents voiced concerns to Councillor Paul Milner about whether the surveys were indicative of cut backs.

Now Cllr Milner has reiterated that the recent consultations undertaken were not about library cuts, and more about tailoring services to each areas needs.

"I've had a few residents come up to me who have asked 'is it about cuts?' after the consultations thinking it's a threat," said Cllr Milner. "So I'd just like to put it right.

"It's not about cutting the library or any services at all, the funding for the library was agreed in 2017 and it will last for five years until 2022.

"It's more about getting people to actually say what services they would like at the library and to tailor each library around the residents of the area.

"So as I said. This is really just for designing the library for the future and finding out what residents want for their library. So don't worry. It's all for the best."

Councillor Sandy Best said that the consultations had been a success and that more people had been encouraged to use the local libraries.

"The library staff were in Sainsburys a couple of weeks back telling people about the library service," added Cllr Best.

"And as a result of that, a lot of people who said that they had been unsure about what the library was offering, have actually now signed up."