More than 2,000 villagers in Chorleywood have signed a petition urging county council chiefs to give Chorleywood Library a "fair share" of council cash.

Hertfordshire County Council is drawing up a final set of proposals after consulting on wide-ranging changes to library services across the county as it looks to make about £2.5 million of savings over the next three years.

Plans include axing mobile library services and implementing the ‘Inspiring Libraries’ strategy, which is based on each of Hertfordshire’s 46 libraries being placed in three distinct categories based on service demand.

Under current proposals, Chorleywood Library, Lower Road, will be placed in Tier 3, which means the library will have to rely on a greater number of volunteers and there will be "self-service access" to many of the services. 

But 2,250 villagers in Chorleywood signed a petition which was presented to councillors at the Customer Service, Performance and Libraries Cabinet Panel on Friday, December 12, urging the authority to make the library Tier Two.

If classified as a Tier Two, Chorleywood Library would be retain staff during "core hours".

Joan Smith, who has used the library since 1998 and is part of a group of eight who set up the petition, said: "It is important to people of all ages. It is a community hub.

"It is not just for borrowing books, but for the social needs, for example people dropping in. 

"Parents with young children are particularly angry. The staff at Chorleywood Library have always been very good at encouraging children to read and I cannot see that volunteers would do that.

"We think there might not be enough volunteers to run the library. Would we have the numbers?

"I think it would take a lot to a run a library. I know there is a very successful library in Little Chalfont, but they have a rota of almost 50 people. 

"If you think about all the responsibilities, for example, security and brining in new books, it is a lot to ask people to do."

But Councillor Frances Button, Cabinet Member for Libraries, said they would not rule out changing Chorleywood Library into a Tier Two Library.

She said: "Hertfordshire County Council will consider all responses from the ‘Inspiring Libraries’ consultation and petitions, including the request for Chorleywood to have a tier two library. 

"Final proposals, along with the results of the consultation, will be presented to the next Customer Service, Performance and Libraries Panel on 10 February 2015. 

"We will listen and talk to library users and local residents before a tier three library is implemented in any community."

But Ms Smith added: "This petition is asking for a share of what is available.

"We understand the situation, we know it is very difficult [economically], but we just want a fair share of what is available.