A CAMPAIGN has been launched to stop the closure of any of Enfield's libraries after a councillor warned cuts may be made.

Libraries at Ordnance Road, Bullsmoor, and Enfield Highway have been earmarked for closure after the Labour-run council's finance chief, Councillor Andrew Stafford, said that the council needed to look at “value for money”.

Now Conservative Enfield North MP Nick de Bois has launched the Hands Off Our Libraries campaign to try to stop any closures – and the petition has already gathered nearly 40 signatures since the weekend.

Mr de Bois rejected the idea that closures would be the fault of Government cuts to the council budget.

He said: “Enfield Council has millions and millions sitting in a reserve bank account – there is simply no justification for cutting front-line services in this way.

“I hope that with enough signatures from residents we can force the council to backtrack on this and we can keep the libraries open.”

Councillors announced £35 million in cuts when setting the borough's budget last month, but say they must make continue to make savings over the next four years.

It also emerged in last month's full council meeting that Cllr Stafford had been telling residents there were “too many libraries in the borough”, and that some could close later in the year.

But the three libraries under threat are all in the north east of Enfield, so closures would leave the area with only Enfield Island Village library for services.

Resident Ruth Hones, of Tysoe Avenue, said: “Ordnance Road library is used by all the local schools.

“It’s a vital part of the community and I hope we can get the council to change its mind on this one.

“If the council has money sitting in reserve, this is the kind of thing it should be spending it on.”

The future of the borough's 16 libraries – the most in London – has been under review for the last year, and proposals are expected to be delivered in the next few months.

Mr de Bois added: “The fact that we have 16 libraries in the borough is something we should be proud of, not a reason for closing some of them.”

The petition against the closures can be viewed by clicking here.