More than 2,000 people responded to a consultation into cuts to Barnet's library service.

Barnet Borough Council is planning to cut £2.85m from the service, and presented options including closing libraries, shrinking many or staffing them with volunteers.

The proposals are scheduled to be debated at a committee meeting in June – unless a Labour motion calling for a halt to the cuts and a re-consultation on different options is passed at a full council meeting next Tuesday.

Conservative councillor Reuben Thompstone, chairman of the children, education, libraries and safeguarding committee, said the response to the consultation, which ended last Sunday, had been “extremely good”.

Cllr Thompstone added: “There have been face to face meetings with individuals, representatives of interested groups, groups at local libraries and numerous other pieces of correspondence between members of the public, officers and elected members.

“We have a lot of information now to sort through and weigh up before we consider our next steps at the children, education, libraries and safeguarding committee in June.”

Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has thrown her weight behind the campaign to keep the libraries open, while Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer said the council needed to engage with people not using the service, as well as regular library users.

Mr Freer added: “Whilst I fully understand the need to modernise libraries in the face of declining book borrowing, I do not support the withdrawal of library services.

“If the service is to be relevant and attract new customers/users, the council should engage with those who are not using it to find out why and what would make the service attractive.”

Shadow Culture Minister Chris Bryant MP is due to visit Golders Green library with Sarah Sackman, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, next Monday to discuss the cuts with residents.

Mr Bryant said closing libraries would be a “short sighted mistake”, and added: “Barnet Council’s plans for libraries look devastating and I would like to hear how residents think the plans will affect them.”

Ms Sackman said: “None of the three options proposed by the Conservatives are good enough. Their consultation document on libraries doesn’t even have the word ‘book’ in it. They should go back to the drawing board and work with library users to come up with a new plan.”