A decision on a new contract for Suffolk's library service has been put off after delays in negotiations with the county council.

The existing contract for the service is held by Suffolk Libraries which has operated since it was divested from the county council in 2012.

However, the current contract expires in May next year - and the new contract had been due to be unveiled this month to give a six-month lead-in time for the new deal.

The county council has now admitted that this deadline cannot be met - and has not been able to give a date when the contract will be signed.

A spokeswoman for the county said: "We are still in a live procurement and therefore unable to provide any details but the award has been delayed and a new date has not yet been confirmed."

There is no official word whether Suffolk Libraries is the only bidder for the contract but it is certainly hoping to retain the contract - although there are concerns about whether it would be able to continue offering the current level of service with the new deal being offered.

No one from Suffolk Libraries was able to comment on the negotiations while the procurement process was under way.

But library users and some within the organisation are understood to have concerns about the amount of money being available over the period of the next contract - especially given the likely impact of inflation.

There is still time for a decision to be taken before the election - but any contract would need a lead-in time and whether that could start before the polls open could be problematic

The county council has been proud of the fact that there are still the same number of library branches in the county as there were when it was divested. 

It could be uncomfortable for the ruling Conservative group to be fighting the election with the library service looking for cuts in the background.