Professional staff also to be removed from libraries in David Cameron and culture minister Ed Vaizey's constituencies

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

David Cameron's faith in the "big society'' is to be put to the test after Oxfordshire county council announced that professional staff are to be removed from six libraries in his Witney constituency, leaving them to be staffed by volunteers.

The culture minister Ed Vaizey will also see two libraries in his neighbouring constituency of Wantage stripped of staff by the Conservative-controlled county council, leaving a mix of volunteers and professional staff to run them.

The council has decided to keep only 22 of the constituency's 43 libraries fully staffed, but had planned to close 20. Cameron will be relieved that libraries are to be kept open in Banbury, Chipping Norton and Witney within his constituency.

Oxfordshire council insists it did not make its decisions on the basis of political lobbying by prominent local MPs, but according to where people live, work, shop and study.

There will be a four-month consultation on the libraries plan, with no changes until the start of the next financial year in April.

The initial plan to close libraries outright led to a wave of protests including some involving authors such as Philip Pullman, Colin Dexter and Mark Haddon.

The shadow libraries minister Gloria De Piero said: "Volunteers have a role to play in libraries, but I would be amazed if you could run libraries by volunteers alone. It is a professional job.

"I have asked Vaizey whether he has any plans to run the House of Commons library through volunteers, and he has not replied so I presume he realises he does not."

She claimed there were signs of another wave of closures following the local elections.

Oxfordshire council leader Keith Mitchell insisted he would have to find savings elsewhere, admitting libraries seem to be the one thing that people value above youth services, roads, social care and vulnerable children.

"It's a peculiarly British thing, because most of them haven't been near a library in years. Like the pub and church in their village or town, they don't want to see them go.

"It will mean a bit less money for highways or adult social care, but realistically we can't go around stopping other cuts from happening, because the country is broke."

He told the Oxford Times: "Personally, I'm disappointed people do not rate social care – old people with dementia and young disabled kids – a bit more highly, but they don't, most likely because they have no experience of that, but they walk past their library on the high street most weeks."

The website Public Libraries News claims that of 4,517 libraries across the UK, 460 (391 in buildings and 69 mobile) are under threat.

Councils are required by law to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" service under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.