Richmond Council wants organisations to come forward to run its libraries.

The council is reviewing the options for retaining the core network of nine libraries across the borough, while investigating the possibility of offering three libraries to organisations to run in partnership with the council through a village library initiative.

The current services provided in Ham, Hampton Wick and Kew are the three libraries put forward.

The project is part of the council’s efficiency programme, in which it aims to move towards commissioning services rather than directly providing them.

Interested groups will be paid a contract fee to take over the day-to-day running of these libraries while the council continues to provide everything else including the building, books and computer equipment.

Businesses, community groups, schools, social enterprises and resident groups will be encouraged to get involved in the project.

Councillor Pamela Fleming, the council’s cabinet member for community, business and culture, said: “It is important to note that this proposal will not result in the closure of any library in the borough and we are committed to keeping all 12 libraries open, along with the access point at Heathfield.

“However, we do have to consider more creative ways of providing our services that have a community focus and we are looking for a local group or organisation to come forward and help us run three of our libraries.

“It would be a formal agreement and there would be clear requirements on core services and opening for the same number of hours, but it would provide the opportunity for communities to consider doing things differently - for example they would have the freedom to run other activities or change and extend opening times.”

The council will soon be launching its Community Links programme, which will provide support and advice for groups involved in these sorts of projects.

As a minimum, the community-run libraries would provide free library membership, free access to books and newspapers for adults and children, free access to computers and the internet and free access to accurate and up-to-date information resources.

In the All in One survey, of those that answered from Hampton Wick, 21 per cent said library services were the most important thing in making it a good place to live.

For more information, visit richmond.gov.uk/libraries.