UNION officials have hit out at plans that could see around 40 library staff lose their jobs in county council cutbacks.

Around 77 library staff have already been issued with letters telling them that their jobs are at risk.

The job losses, which could hit staff working in a number of libraries, are part of a package of measures aimed at saving the county council £580,000 in its budget for communities.

A protest over the proposed cuts was staged by staff outside Maidstone’s County Hall on February 22.

Staff affected say library users will get a poorer service if their jobs go, while vital community schemes, such as reading clubs that help encourage people to use their library, will have to end.

Council chiefs have denied the job cuts will lead to a poorer service and insist they are willing to listen to alternatives before pushing ahead.

But David Lloyd, Unison branch secretary representing Kent County Council staff, said:

“The services that these librarians provide goes beyond what they do in libraries. They perform vital work out in the community. It is misleading to say they are not on the frontline.”

The threatened job losses were demoralising for staff who were concerned they might represent “the thin end of the wedge, he added.

Staff in other directorates were also waiting to hear if their jobs were at risk.

Cllr Mike Hill (Con), KCC’s cabinet member for communities, insisted the library service would not be affected. “By the time we have worked through the efficiency measures across the directorate as a whole, we will not have a poorer service.”

He had offered to meet personally with union representatives for “face to face talks” and KCC was willing to listen to alternatives, he added.

The county council says around 190 jobs could be lost across different departments as a result of an across-the-board £30million cost-cutting package.