MANY visitors to the county’s libraries will be charged to use the computers from April, it has been announced.

Kent County Council is to bring in what it says are modest fees, which will have to be paid if users wish to stay on the Internet for longer than half and hour.

The charges will apply across the board to both adults and children. The introduction of computers into the county’s 106 libraries has been hugely popular.

At any one time, KCC estimates that at least three quarters of its computers are being used by the public.

Library chiefs have defended the introduction of charges, which will see visitors pay 50 pence for every half an hour’s use. The first 30 minutes will be free, with disabled people being eligible for an hour’s free use.

In a report, KCC suggests most children who use the computers for help with homework do not need any longer than 30 minutes.

Cllr David Brazier (Con), library spokesman, said he did not expect the charges to deter people.

“For people who want to look at their e-mails or do a particular piece of research, half an hour should be adequate. Fifty pence for half an hour is a perfectly reasonable charge,” he said.

KCC estimates that the charges will raise £20,000 in a year, some of which will be spent on introducing a booking system for computer users. Cash will also be spent on replacing and upgrading computers.

In other changes, charges for reservations are to be cut from 75 pence per item to 25 pence.

And fines for videos which are returned late will also be cut, with charges based on a daily rate, rather than the full hire fee.