Moray Council has said that the cafe attached to Elgin Library is to close down after an independent commercial operator could not be found to take over the business.
Attempts will be made to find alternative posts for the five part-time staff employed at the Library cafe after deadlines for commercial bids passed without an offer being made.
Council leader Allan Wright insisted that the cafe had been running at a loss for “several years” and these had now made retaining the cafe untenable.
He said: “The decision was taken to put the facility out to tender in the hope of attracting a commercial operator. The deadline for bids has passed and no tenders have been received. Consequently the cafe will close.
“Staff have been notified of the position and every effort will be made to redeploy them elsewhere within the Council.”
The move follows the closure of library services in Portknockie, Rothes, Hopeman and Findochty in November. Other library branches in Dufftown, Cullen and Burghead were saved from closure only after a fierce public campaign and the threat of legal action against Moray Council.