THE Save Leigh Library campaign is gaining momentum with around 5,000 signatures.

Leigh Library is one of six under review and could become a community library run by volunteers rather than fully staffed by council staff.

Campaigners are against Kent Elms library becoming a hub library for the east of Southend borough.

The campaign to keep it as a fully funded and staffed public library has been endorsed by Leigh Town Council.

A working party has been set up and has agreed that to encourage people to respond to Southend Council’s consultation of the review a drop off box in Leigh Library, and another in the community centre have been installed.

The working party will then arrange for these to be delivered to the borough council by the due date.

Carole Mulroney, from the group, has responded to comments by senior Southend councillors implying that the campaign was misleading in that Southend was not seeking to close libraries.

Mrs Mulroney said: “The town council has been very careful not to mislead.

“Whilst the borough council may not have used the word 'closure' in the documentation my colleagues on the town council and I think it is an inherent and straightforward link that if Leigh is not the hub and there are insufficient volunteers to run a community library, then the service will cease. Even if there were sufficient volunteers there is no guarantee it would remain in the current building.”