A council that proposed to put volunteers in charge of libraries has been ordered to review its plans by the High Court.

Lincolnshire County Council’s executive, which had backed the creation of 30 new hubs that community groups had proposed to run, will now have to carry out a fresh consultation before looking again at the plans.

Disappointed executive director at the council, Richard Wills, said: ‘We believe that our proposals would have increased library provision in the county while also making substantial savings, meaning taxpayers would be getting a much better deal.

‘The judge agreed there was a need to make savings, that our proposals would meet our statutory duties and that we’d carefully considered the impact on all residents.

‘We will now address the points raised by the judge and remain open-minded.

‘We need to take time to consider the best way forward and will announce our next steps in the near future.’