After a shock u-turn to scrap on-street parking charges, campaigners are hoping another could be on the way tomorrow over controversial plans for volunteer-run libraries.

Surrey County Council (SCC) had planned to introduce 3,500 on-street parking spaces across the county to raise £2.5m over the next 12 months.

But Councillor David Hodge, new leader of SCC, began his term on Tuesday, October 11, by announcing an end to the plans admitting they were "enormously unpopular" and that they had got it wrong.

Now, despite not one conservative councillor voting against the plans at the meeting last Tuesday, Liberal Democrat County Councillors believe another u-turn could be in the pipeline at a call-in meeting on the proposals to be discussed by the communities select committee tomorrow, October 18.

Surrey County Council is currently proposing that volunteers run up to 19 Surrey libraries, including Stoneleigh, Ewell Court and Tattenhams, in place of professional staff to prevent their closure and save £300,000.

Councillor John Orrick, Liberal Democrat communities’ spokesperson on the council, said: "There were suggestions from some Conservative councillors that when the issue is debated again next Tuesday afternoon by the communities select committee, following a call-in by Liberal Democrat and Residents Association councillors, that they will be open to look again at the issue.

"Hopefully this will mean that plans for up to 19 libraries to be only run by volunteers will be shelved and an alternative proposal that still saves money, but removes the threat of closure from libraries will be found."

A protest was held on October 1 at Ewell Court Library and Woking Public library organised by SLAM (Surrey Libraries Action Movement).

John Bond, from SLAM, said: "We certainly hope that our new leader will reconsider because we certainly don’t believe that the library plans are right.

"The amount of money involved in the library plans is just not worth it compared to the money they hope to save and it is causing so much distress to so many small villages."