A LIBRARY could suffer a major reduction in its opening hours as part of county wide cost-cutting.

Skipton library - set to become a 'core' library with an administrative role over village community libraries - could also see a fall in the number of professional staff.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is currently consulting on changes to libraries until February next year, says cuts have to be made to save an additional £2 million from its library budget.

Libraries at Ingleton, Bentham and Cross Hills could become community run in early 2017 with support from Skipton, while Skipton itself will also have to rely on volunteers if it is to maintain its current opening hours.

With a planned ratio of 60 per cent paid staff and 40 per cent volunteers, the library could face a 40 per cent reduction in its opening hours without community help.

Julie Blaisdale, assistant director for library and community services at the county council, said staff at Skipton - currently nine, including part-time workers - had been informed of the proposals before the start of the public consultation.

Their roles would change to become more supervisory, overseeing the community libraries and assisting volunteers, who would be trained to carry out duties including meeting and greeting, shelving books and carrying out story telling.