Latest editorial
BRUTAL Tory cuts forced local authorities to slash their spending on public libraries by £66 million last year, Labour said yesterday.
There has been a squeeze on paid staff and branches for the seventh year running with new figures showing that total expenditure fell from £919m in 2015-16 to £853m in 2016-17.
Staff numbers fell by 5 per cent (869) — while the use of unpaid library volunteers increased — and there are now 105 fewer libraries, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
The late country singer’s Imagination Library has put hundreds of millions of books into children’s hands. We should build on that legacy by defending the libraries at the heart of our communities, says BRENDA AITCHISON
Years of underfunding are eroding Scotland’s local services and deepening inequality in communities, says VINCE MILLS
Liverpool Trades Council has unveiled a ‘People’s Budget’ to fight £56m cuts and council tax rises. DEAN YOUNG reports