DARTMOUTH Town Council is going into battle to safeguard the future of the town's library.

Councillors have pledged to do all they can to protect the community facility, which could be under threat as part of a shake up of library services across the county.

The future of both Dartmouth and Stoke Fleming libraries is on the line in a massive cost-cutting exercise aimed at saving £1.5m.

Devon County Council is considering slashing its support for more than half of the county's libraries by handing them over to community volunteers to run. That includes Dartmouth Library which the county spent thousands of pounds modernising when it moved it to the ground floor of the Flavel less than 10 years ago.

But town councillors say the library is well-used and a vital facility that they want to protect.

Ray Bridges, president of the Flavel and former chairman of the trustees, warned that if the library went, the town would lose its 'point of axis'.

He said: 'Dartmouth Library is the centre of gravity, not just for users, but for visitors and businesses.

'It is the presence of Dartmouth and the central point of the community.'

Speaking at Monday's town council meeting, Mr Bridges said Dartmouth was scheduled to become one of 28 proposed community-led libraries with the loss of 2.23 full-time equivalent staff.

But he maintained that on the county council's criteria, it should be listed as a so-called Devon Centre, of which there will be 22, with staff.

See this week's Dartmouth Chronicle for the full story.