More than £2 million will be cut from the libraries budget in the next year three years - but council chiefs are insisting no "libraries will be closed in 10 years".

Councillor Frances Button, lead member for customer service, performance and libraries at Hertfordshire County Council confirmed £1 million will be cut from the libraries budget in each of the next two years, before a further £500,000 will be slashed from the budget.

But Councillor Button vowed that "within the next ten years, there is no plan to close any of the 46 libraries".

Plans include axing mobile library services and implementing the ‘Inspiring Libraries’ strategy, which is based on each of Hertfordshire’s 46 libraries being placed in three distinct categories based on service demand.

Tier 3 libraries will be forced to rely on a greater number of volunteers and there will be "self-service access" to many of the services.

Tier 2 libraries will retain staff "during core hours" and offer a wide range of popular stock while Tier 1 libraries would be staffed by trained library staff.

Councillor Button said: "People have a pot to pay their mortgage with and a pot for their living expenses. We have a capital pot and a revenue pot. Revenue comes in the form of council tax and grants from the government. "We run the library service with that.

"Then you have capital, which you cannot use for certain things, like staff salaries.

"At the same as we are reducing the revenue budget, we are going to invest capital. If we have more efficient library building, we will bring down the running costs".

Taryn Pearson, assistant director for libraries and customer service said Hertfordshire County Council would be investing in more digital technology, including 3-d printers and users will face charges when using such services.

But Councillor Kareeen Hastrick, Liberal Democrat spokesman for libraries, expressed her concern about the plans to abandon the mobile libraries.

She said: "My main objection to the plans is the fact that the mobile libraries will be going.

"People do not just go to them for the books. It all helps with the sense of community; people meet and then go for coffee after picking up a book."

But Councillor Button said the authority was considering expanding home delivery of books to people who were unable to get to libraries in the county.