LIBRARY services are to be cut in Gloucestershire to help the county council cope with its increasing funding pressures.

With more older and vulnerable people than ever needing care and the focus on protecting such frontline services, GCC is having to make difficult decisions about spending in other areas, including libraries.

It has spent an average of £1million a year on stock for county libraries since 2005 and a reduction in this budget for the remainder of this financial year will produce significant savings.

This will mean far fewer new books will be purchased but with recent bestsellers currently on order and due for delivery, users will not see many changes to the availability of titles until the autumn.

It will still be possible to reserve some stock from other Gloucestershire libraries for free online and from libraries outside the county for a charge, although the wait is likely to be longer for popular items.

Subscriptions to some magazines and online resources will also be reviewed but DVDs and music CDs will continue to be purchased as these generate significant income.

Cllr Antonia Noble, cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, said: "This was a tough decision to take but it is a sign of these difficult financial times.

"We will continue to protect the most vulnerable people in our society and we will have to do that with less money, so we have to look at ways of reducing spending.

"Thanks to previous investment, stock levels in our libraries are good and we have tried to protect information resources as much as possible."