Green Party councillors have called for an £80,000 windfall to be spent on keeping an award-winning library open longer.

Brighton's Jubilee Library opened over a year ago, with the number of visitors in its first year reaching 800,000 - more than treble the number the old library attracted.

But users have been frustrated by the council's decision to close the library in the early evening on some days and all day on Sundays.

Last September, the Labour-led council extended opening hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2pm to 5pm. But Green party spokesman on culture Bill Randall said users wanted it to open longer still.

New accounting arrangements for the private finance initiative, under which the £14 million library was built, have produced an unexpected windfall of £80,000 per year for the 25-year duration of the contract.

In their council budget proposals for 2006/7, the Greens earmarked this year's money to open the library an extra six hours a week.

They were defeated last month and instead the money was allocated to support the savings package in the Labour and Liberal Democrat budget.

Councillor Randall now wants next year's money to be reserved for the library.

He said: "Everybody likes the library but most people feel it should be more accessible.

"The fact this year's money has been allocated elsewhere is a missed opportunity and will be deeply regretted by people who use Jubilee Library.

"While £80,000 a year is not enough to open the library on Sundays, it could fund another late night opening and extend the Saturday opening hours."

Labour councillor Sue John, who chairs the culture committee, said: "Our ambition is to extend the opening hours further when finances allow."

Senior library officers are expected to investigate Sunday opening once construction of a hotel on a nearby site is completed in 18 months.

The Jubilee Library's current opening hours are:

Monday 10am-7pm Tuesday 10am-7pm Wednesday 10am-5pm Thursday 10am-8pm Friday 10am-5pm Saturday 10am-4pm Sunday Closed