Campaigners fighting to save services at Cockermouth Library are calling for the county council to consider providing ongoing financial support.

The Friends of Cockermouth Library formed last year when plans were revealed to transfer the Main Street service, including its building, to the town council.

The existing library staff are all leaving, having taken voluntary redundancy, and the town council plans to move the tourist information centre into the building, with its staff manning both services.

The town council says the plan would create a community hub, with potential for other services to move in.

In their response to a public consultation, the friends group called for consideration to what financial and other support can be expected from the county council should any major building repairs be needed.

They are calling for staff to be trained to take payments for library services which currently require this, such as DVDs, enabling those services to be maintained.

The group has called for clear demarcation between the library area of the building and the tourist information centre.

They want to see the library open until 5pm on at least one or two weekdays, and say the current IT services should be maintained.

At least one dedicated, experienced library assistant should be available during library opening hours, they said.

The group is calling for a meeting with town and county councillors over the plan, amid fears library services will be marginalised.

A public consultation was launched last month and closed on January 4.

If the plan is approved, the town council would take control of the library in April.

The two-storey library building was built with funds donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and has been run by the county council since 1974.