Plans for volunteers to take control of Molesey library have been scrapped.

Earlier this year, the facility in The Forum was named as one of 11 libraries that Surrey County Council wanted to offer to community groups.

At a meeting held yesterday (Tuesday), however, the authority’s Conservative decision-making cabinet agreed to withdraw Molesey library from the proposals.

It will continue to be run by the county council as part of a County Managed Network.

For the remaining 10 libraries on the list, cabinet members agreed to proceed with a pilot “community partnership” scheme.

The county council said that the facilities - in Bagshot, Bramley, Byfleet, Ewell Court, Lingfield, New Haw, Stoneleigh, Tattenhams, Virginia Water and Warlingham - account for 7% of library visits in Surrey.

Under its proposals, the authority will continue to provide the library buildings, stock and other resources.

Volunteers, meanwhile, will take over the day-to-day running of the facilities.

According to a report considered at yesterday’s meeting, for any library where no community partnership is established “a decision about closure will need to be taken in December”.

Cllr Hazel Watson, the leader of Surrey County Council's Liberal Democrat group, described the decision regarding the 10 libraries as a disgrace.

She said that it was made in the name of the Big Society but that support for it was invisible.

"The plans are being pushed through to save face in front of massive public opposition,” she added.

Denise Saliagopoulos, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for community services, defended the move.

“[This] decision means we are a step closer to fulfilling our aim of keeping all 52 of Surrey’s libraries open, while focusing resources and making best use of new technologies such as e-books,” she said.

“We’ve been greatly encouraged by the response we’ve had to the plans to give people the freedom to tailor their local library to meet local needs.”

Surrey has a total of 52 libraries.

The county council is looking to create a Strategic Library Network consisting of branches managed by the authority, with supported community libraries.

According to the cabinet report, nine libraries – including Hersham’s – are not currently identified as potential community partnerships or within the proposed managed network.

Cabinet members decided to continue to fully support the service provision at these locations for now.

They also agreed that the nine would not be considered for inclusion within the community partnership scheme until the pilot has been in existence for a full year from April 1, 2012 and an evaluation of its success has taken place.