Gorse Hill Library will lend its last book today.

The facility is the only Swindon library to close as part of Swindon Council’s efforts to save £100,000 and will be replaced by a mobile service from next week.

The council’s head of library services said the Gorse Hill facility was not viable and added the council’s new model would allow them to cater more directly to residents’ needs.

But a ward councillor has accused the council of ignoring public opposition.

Allyson Jordan, head of library services, said the mobile library would visit Gorse Hill on Thursdays and Fridays.

She insisted the mobile library would open for the same length of time – 10 hours – as the facility it replaced.

Ms Jordan said: “There will be a questionnaire for the people of Gorse Hill to find out how we can best meet their needs.

“There will be a choice of four locations, four times a week. The decision to close the library was taken because the usage was going down.

“The option of single staffing, which has been used in Even Swindon, was not suitable because the community centre is not open all the time, so there was not that option of working with other partners.”

Coun John Ballman (Lab, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst) said there was a strong feeling that local people wanted to keep their library. He said: “It was quite clear from the responses to the consultation and to the survey we carried out that there is support for this library.

“Gorse Hill is the only library in Swindon to close. The idea of parking a mobile library outside the community centre for the same number of hours just isn’t good enough.

“We are very disappointed but not surprised that the administration didn’t listen to us.”

The decision to close the library was taken as part of a consultation on four separate libraries.

Walcot library merged with the Walcot Community shop in April.

Even Swindon Library will continue to operate but with just one member of staff, while the Old Town facility will be staffed by volunteers from an autistic charity and one librarian.

Coun Fionuala Foley, deputy leader of Swindon Council and the cabinet member for libraries, said: “The mobile library provides an excellent service. “I would suggest anyone who disagrees with that to go along to Gorse Hill and try it out.”