A “much-loved” library cafe that was expected to be back up and running by Christmas is still standing empty.

Enfield Town Library Cafe, which used to be a popular spot for families and other visitors to meet up and take a break, has now been empty for more than a year.

Last September, a member of the council’s property services team admitted having to rerun the process of finding a new operator because a previous bid did not follow the correct procedure.

It was hoped the cafe would be back open before Christmas

But with no sign of it reopening as summer begins, Conservative leader Cllr Joanne Laban called for the council to let the public know when the “much-loved” venue would be back up and running.

Cllr Laban said: “The public need to know when the library cafe will be open. The unit has been vacant for over 12 months.

“I am aware that there have been problems finding a new operator, but many of the mistakes have been caused by Enfield’s Labour council.

“However, we need to draw a line under this debacle now and make sure the cafe is back up and running as soon as possible.”

Enfield Town Library reopened in 2010 following an extensive renovation and refurbishment of the existing Edwardian building.

It is one of the biggest and most popular libraries in the borough.

Enfield Council was approached for comment.