Mrs McKinlay has started a petition which has been placed in the town’s businesses and she has already collected about 400 signatures from Wingham people unhappy about the decision.

As of August 1, the opening time of the Wingham Library and council office will be pushed back half an hour and the facility will be closed for an hour in the middle of the day to allow for staff lunch hours.

This means operating hours will be cut by eight hours a week – essentially a full day of services lost.

The council has made these service reductions in its management plan in response to State Government cost shifting and rate pegging.

The council’s general manager, Gerard Jose, told the Wingham Chronicle earlier this month that council staff are investigating the possibility of volunteers working to maintain the current hours.

Mrs McKinlay will present the petition in a special submission to the council.

Lyn encourages Wingham people to attend the council meeting on August 12 to show support for the cause.