Residents in Sandwich say they are being asked to vote blindly on a consultation to offload library services to a charitable trust.

At a meeting of Sandwich Library Guild at the Guildhall last Wednesday, chairman Margaret Simpson said the consultation seemed to be taking a “cart before the horse” approach.

No clear business model means residents feel they are left in the dark over exactly what would happen if services were handed over.

The information given to the public was described as “scant and woolly”.

Ms Simpson said: “One of the questions raised is the validity of the consultation process and what will happen to staff and volunteers.

“The amount of people here is a really good sign of how important the library is to people in Sandwich and how much we want the services to continue and how they could get better.”

Many concerns were raised by the packed main hall, with one resident saying they feel they are “voting blindly” on plans while another said cutting library services was “fundamentally wrong”.

Guild member Cilla Phillips said the consultation document claims KCC wishes to preserve the library but needs to look at ways it can deliver services.

It needs to save £3.27 million and it says a charitable trust would mean tax breaks, grants and income such as charging community groups for using the library.

She said: “Libraries are changing. At one point their main focus was to lend books but they now do much more. It’s a community hub.”

Amanda Forrest, KCC district customer services officer, said savings had already been made to “back room staff but not front of house”. She also confirmed staff would be transferred over to the charitable trust.

She said: “This is not a done deal. This is a consultation. If the charitable trust was to make changes to the service there would be a public consultation and would have to go to KCC for approval.”

Janet Yapp, another member of the guild, said: “If the whole of Kent and their libraries are asking for money I really don’t see how you can count that as one of the means of getting funding. I know how difficult it is to get grants.”

Ray Elliott, chairman of trustees at Sandwich Sports and Leisure Centre, said: “A charitable trust is not something to take on very lightly. When they speak of having a board of trustees, well, getting trustees is quite another matter.”

He explained the leisure centre is supposed to have 10 trustees and has to survive on eight.

Sandwich Library Guild is not completely opposed to the plans but wishes for the consultation period to be extended and more information given.