I READ the letter from lan Lewis, “Friends could be the answer for libraries” (Letters, January 6), with interest.

Dorset County Council needs to find £54.9 million in savings over the next three years, which is a huge challenge.

The extent of the savings, and the timescale in which we need to achieve them, is likely to involve more fundamental changes in the nature of the services we provide. They may involve stopping service provision – in whole or in part – or a major change to the type, level or volume of service delivered. It is essential that we reduce the funding available for non-essential services, while honouring duties to residents.

The county council must now focus on library services it can deliver going forward, which are affordable and sustainable.

To achieve this, it is proposed that we have a smaller network of county council-supported library buildings, a continued provision of mobile library services and further investment in services accessed through our website.

We also want to encourage some local communities to take ownership of their local library – with our support – before the proposed withdrawal of county council funding by April 2012. If, as Mr Lewis suggests, these are modern buildings currently open for a few hours per week, the buildings could be used more innovatively for the benefit of local communities.

Mr Lewis suggests that income could be generated by establishing a county-wide Friends group, which might provide a voluntary cash contribution. However, the budget for the library service cannot be guaranteed by this type of voluntary contribution from a relatively small sector of the public, and introduces further risk and instability.

HILARY COX, cabinet member for community services, Dorset County Council