TOWN Hall bosses have insisted a decision over the future of nine libraries in Bolton is not “a fait accompli”.

And they have revealed there will be a second public consultation to decide their fate, giving people another chance to save under-threat facilities.

A public consultation on the library provision in the borough ended in May after the nine were placed under review. More than 15,000 people signed petitions urging Bolton Council to keep all libraries open.

Now, despite campaigners’ fears that a decision has already been made, council chiefs say that is not the case and that the public will have another chance to shape the future of libraries.

Chief executive Sean Harriss said: “The consultation has finished and that, along with the data from the review, will form the final recommendations which will go to the Executive on July 28.

“When a decision is made by the Executive, then it will go out again for public consultation so it is not a fait accompli at all, despite some of the messages that are being put out.”

Ian McHugh, secretary of the Save Bolton Libraries campaign, which collected 7,500 signatures, said campaigners had not heard anything in the past few months which justified closing libraries.

He said: “The two biggest petitions, ours which gathered 7,5000 signatures and the one in Bromley Cross which had more than 4,000 signatures, are enough to trigger a debate at the full council meeting and we are in talks about moving forward with that.

“We have heard nothing so far that justifies closing libraries but we live in the real world and we are more than happy to talk about how services can be changed.

“The fact that we have linked up with a number of campaigns in other parts of the country shows that we have ideas on how that could happen.”

The reorganisation is being proposed as part of Bolton Council’s plans to save £60 million over the next two years.

The library service shakeup could potentially save £500,000.

Central Library in Le Mans Crescent, as well as Farnworth, Westhoughton, Horwich, Blackrod and Little Lever libraries, are all safe.

But Astley Bridge, Breightmet, Bromley Cross, Castle Hill in Tonge Moor, Harwood, Heaton, High Street in Daubhill, Highfield (Orchards) in Farnworth and Oxford Grove in Halliwell face closure under the proposals.

Residents in Harwood, Astley Bridge and Breightmet have also collected signatures.