THE High Court victory over library closures across Somerset is likely to be meaningless in the long-term, according to a county councillor.

County councillor Derek Yeomans told Langport town councillors last week that the authority would continue to review all its services and that new consultations on the future of the county's libraries were likely.

This week the county council was expected to formally agree to reverse its library cuts decision, following a High Court ruling that the authority did not comply with equality laws when reaching its decisions.

The cuts resulted in some libraries facing closure and others having their opening hours reduced.

Mr Yeomans suggested that the county council would merely do the consultations again, ensuring complete compliancy with equality laws, before reaching the same conclusions.

He said: "The libraries will go back to as they were before with the old opening times.

"What we will then have to do is have more consultations and address the equalities issues we were pulled up on.

"We have to make sure everything is right this time and it will be a case of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts.

"I'm afraid to say the council needs to make cuts as it doesn't have the money."

Julia Gadd, Langport town councillor and a founder member of the Friends of Langport Library, said the whole process was ridiculous.

She said: "What was basically said is that the county council will go through the whole process again and we will still be left with the same cuts as proposed last year.

"It seems ridiculous that all this taxpayers' money was spent fighting the court case and now more money, time and effort will be spent reversing the decision and more again holding consultations and implementing the cuts.

"There seems to be no point in holding these consultations again if the findings are going to be ignored.

"The budget for new books is also being cut. It's very sad to see our library system being run down. We can only hope it doesn't lead to fewer visitors."

The cost of fighting the High Court legal battle has been put by one county councillor at £61,000. Somerset County Council wanted to make funding cuts of £1.3m over three years.

Council officers have told councillors that the services should be reinstated to "ensure that Somerset County Council is compliant with the requirements of the court judgment".

The final decision, which was due to be made yesterday, rests with Councillor Christine Lawrence, the cabinet member for community.

If council reports are approved, four mobile libraries will be reinstated, opening hours at 23 libraries will increase and 11 will keep their funding.

Among the libraries threatened with closure by the funding cut in March were Milborne Port and South Petherton. Funding for Bruton Library and Sunningdale Library in Yeovil was due to have been completely withdrawn in October last year but that action was halted pending the outcome of the High Court challenge.

Opening hours were reduced at the main library in Yeovil, Martock, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Chard, Somerton, Langport, Wincanton and Castle Cary.

The Friends of Langport Library will hold its inaugural meeting on Thursday, January 26, at the library, starting at 6.30pm.

The group is being set up to safeguard the future of the town's library.

Somerset County Council was approached for comment but did not respond before the Western Gazette went to print.

But in December, a spokesman confirmed the council lost the judicial review because it did not meet "equalities obligations" in terms of how people with disabilities, vulnerable adults, single parents and the elderly would be affected.

The spokesman added: "The judgment concluded that the service proposed would meet the statutory duty and there was no evidence to suggest the consultation was flawed.

"However, it found that the decision taken by full council was unlawful because of a failure to comply with public sector equalities duties."