Councillors are set to grill Essex County Council over its failure to assure how a remodelled library service will work – including how suitability of volunteers will be achieved.

Councillors Mike Mackrory, Chris Pond and Julie Young have called the decision in to be discussed on Thursday, August 8.

It follows Essex County Council’s decision to sign off a five-year strategy for its loan service last month.

But campaigners say they are still no clearer how this plan will operate.

Essex County Council wanted to close 25 libraries last year, with 19 more relying heavily on volunteers.

But after a local campaign, which saw authors Michael Rosen and David Walliams offer their support, the Conservative-run council performed a U-turn.

Last month, leader David Finch announced there would be no closures, pledging an additional £3m for libraries over the next five years.

On Sunday, July 21, the council confirmed it was still seeking volunteers to keep the small branches open.

But opposition councillors say the council has failed to give assurances over several aspects of the service – including on how suitability of volunteers will be achieved and failure to provide a development scheme for the professional development of permanent staff/library assistants.

They add the council has also failed to address the need to have at least one permanent member of staff during opening times at all service points.

Cllr Young said: “The administration at County Hall needs to understand that the people of Essex are not prepared to allow them to denigrate our library service across the county.

“And collectively, members at County Hall in opposition positions and also the people of Essex will continue to fight the library corner until we are satisfied the service is safe.”

Cllr Young added: “We had Cllr Finch declare that his word was his bond and no libraries will close. That guarantee is only in place for five years.

“The offer that has been made for communities to step forward to run libraries with a three-year deal of £18,000, but for that who knows what assurance going forward there will be.

“The library service will remain in that building in the long term.”

The call in also mentions the council has failed to give assurance that all stock on catalogue/all loans reckoned for public lending right, will be available at all service points and that it has failed to explain how the wish to sell certain existing buildings squares with the impossibility of volunteer libraries having the funds to acquire suitable premises.

"Nor, they say, has the council given clarity regarding the criteria for revisiting the strategy in the event of “continuing decline”.