CAMPAIGNERS packed into Stonehouse Town Hall on Friday night to object to Gloucestershire County Council’s plans to cut key services in the town.

Around 80 people attended a special meeting, which was called by Stonehouse Labour Party to debate the resolution ‘That the proposed cuts by the county council administration will have an adverse effect on the residents of Stonehouse'.

GCC announced in November that it would cut library and youth services around the county in favour of protecting adult and children services.

However, taxpayers in Stonehouse are outraged that the library opening hours could be cut to just three hours a week.

County councillor Lesley Williams, (Labour, Stonehouse), said: "I am completely opposed to these cuts and I was really very heartened to see the meeting so packed out.

"This should give a clear message to the Tory administration at Shire Hall that the people of Stonehouse are very unhappy indeed about these proposals."

John Holland, formerly assistant head of library services for the county, reported at the meeting that in the last year there had been a total of 27,803 visits to Stonehouse library, which serves 14,261.

Mr Holland also said 41,766 books and other media were loaned out, 34 per cent of which had been to children.

At the meeting suggestions came forward that the town’s precept should be raised to protect those services most at risk.

For instance putting it up by only 83p a month for a band D property would raise £25,000 a year.

Some argued that neighbouring parishes should make a financial contribution to the running costs of the library and others said that they should try to fights the cuts first.

MP Neil Carmichael also attended the first part of the meeting and spoke in support of the library, stating that three hours a week was not enough.