NORTON town councillors have been told they need to work towards turning the town’s library into a community hub if they want to safeguard its future.

Members of the council met Julie Blaisdale, assistant director of the county’s library and community services, and Neil Irving, director of policy and partnerships, to hear about plans for Norton library as part of a consultation on the future of the service following a significant cut in its budget.

Key points of the new proposals included in the consultation are three categories of library – core, hybrid, and community-managed – which would be part of the North Yorkshire “family” of libraries and involve volunteers.

However, Mrs Blaisdale said that in 2011, the county council’s executive had agreed that there would be only one library for Malton and Norton, although the council was prepared to consider a community-run option for Norton.

“It is an unusual situation to have two libraries less than a mile away from each other and unfortunately we cannot afford to find the resources to staff two libraries so close together,” she said. “Our studies have found that while Norton loses daytime population, Malton gains it with an increase in business use and footfall at the library.”

Mrs Blaisdale suggested that one of the options for Norton was to open it up to residents as a community hub.

“There is the opportunity to provide more services than book lending and for local people to set it up on their terms and use the asset with the help and support of the county council,” she said. “We can no longer afford to run these services by ourselves but we do not want to walk away from this – we want to work with you.”

However, mayor Councillor Ray King said it was unfair to compare the Malton and Norton libraries. “Norton is being strangled – the opening hours are down to 10 a week, so how can you compare footfall between the two, it is completely unfair,” he said. “Our town library is a valuable asset.”

Councillor Jonathan Gray argued that Norton library was well used by younger people with the highest proportion of under 25s in the district.

“Close to 50 per cent of members are under 25 compared to 43 per cent for Kirkbymoorside, 35 per cent for Malton, 32 per cent at Helmsley and 31 per cent in Pickering,” he said.

Councillor Hugh Spencer said that Norton was continuing to increase in population with the number of new houses being built. “Surely this is going to have some impact on the people using the library,” he said.

County councillor Elizabeth Shields, who is campaigning to maintain the library, said it was well used. “We have got to look at other uses for the library and bring in more groups and activities,” she said.

“I am looking to get as much information and support together as I can to see if it is viable.”