DEVON County Council has passed plans to cut £850,000 from the county's library services budget.

Opening hours at most of North Devon's libraries will be reduced but it is not yet known how many members of staff will be made redundant.

The council's cabinet voted to revise library opening hours at a meeting in Exeter last week.

As a result of the decision, 11 of the 13 libraries in North Devon will see their hours reduced.

The most significant changes will occur at Braunton library where opening hours will drop from 37.5 hours per week to 21 – a loss of 16.5 hours per week – and Chulmleigh where opening hours will fall from nearly 16 hours per week to just 6.

Combe Martin library will drop from 19 hours per week to 10 and Lynton library will fall from 12.5 hours per week to 6.

However, Barnstaple library will stay open for an extra hour per week and South Molton library will open for an extra half an hour each week.

The revised opening hours will be phased in between September 2011 and March 2012.

A county council spokesman said the precise opening hours of each library would be subject to a staff consultation.