An MP has been accused of being “morally shameless” after he criticised the planned move of an Enfield library.

Southgate Circus Library is to close and the library services will share premises with Southgate College as a cost saving exercise, with Enfield Council facing having to make £80m cuts by 2018.

Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes said his constituents are concerned by the news, after visiting the library with Southgate councillor Ed Smith, and shadow cabinet member for libraries in Enfield, Lee David-Sanders.

He said he is worried that the move will not retain all services and “only three shelves of books” will be available at the new facility.

However, Enfield’s cabinet member for children’s services and libraries Cllr Ayfer Orhan said they have made plans for all the services available at Southgate Circus to be available in the college, and accused Mr Burrowes of trying to score political points.

All 17 libraries in Enfield are set to remain open in some format despite the cuts, the most in any London borough.

Ms Orhan said: “We are really committed to a full library service, the position we find ourselves in is unprecedented.

“We expected Mr Burrowes to turn up to the library with protestors, but instead he brought political party members, he is trying to make this into a political issue.

“It is morally shameless and unjust to treat this as a political football.

“We want to turn our libraries into centres of excellence, and linking with a wonderful education provider in our borough is quite exciting.

“I love libraries, I used to escape to them all the time when I was younger, and I want to keep that service, I want my future grandchildren to be able to access libraries in Enfield.

“In all my years in local politics, I would not have expected anyone to stoop as low as David Burrowes has.”

Mr Burrowes said he is launching the ‘Save Southgate Library’ campaign, which demands public access to the library through the front of the college, a similar number of books and computers, retaining the children’s library, and having it run by staff rather than volunteers.

He said: “The move makes some sense, but only if the facilities fully accessible, and it is not a downgrade, not a fragment of the previous library, which is what this risks becoming.

“For example, will the children’s section of the library be maintained? A small corner of a room in a college will not be enough for this.”

He called for the relocation to be delayed if their demands are not met.

However, Enfield Council spokesman Andrew Golder said Southgate Circus will close on July 11, and reopen on August 1 in the college as planned.

He said: “Enfield library card members will continue to be able to use their library card to access the same range of books, public access pc’s and free wifi in designated space.

“The staff are currently undertaking a business as usual stock take to remove items of stock that have not been borrowed for some time or showing signs of wear and tear. This is an exercise that takes place in all libraries on a regular basis.

“As is the case now, if there is a stock item that a customer requires that is not available in a library, they have the ability to search our catalogue and reserve it from another library, either within Enfield or through the wider London Library Consortium (LLC) of which we are part.”

Mr Golder said over 10,000 items will be available from the library once it reopens, thanks to the online network in place.

He also said the opening hours will be increased, with the library open six days a week instead of the current five.