MORE than a decade of “brutal” SNP Scottish government cuts to councils has cost the country one in seven of its libraries, says Scottish Labour.

According to Labour Party analysis, the number of libraries in Scotland has fallen by 14 per cent from 627 to 538 between 2009-10 and 2022-23.

Three months on from setting its budget, the SNP Scottish government has so far refused to confirm funding for the Public Library Improvement Fund (PLIF) this year.