LIBRARY users in Surrey are to be denied the enlightenment provided for them via the provision of right-wing papers.

Surrey County Council spends £60,000 a year supplying national and local newspapers to its libraries.

But the likes of the Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Telegraph, The Sun and The Times will no longer be stocked.

The Tory-controlled council has to find savings of £100,000 from its libraries budget and has reluctantly decided to cancel its order for the aforementioned publications and others, including the Guardian and several foreign-language newspapers.

However, the council will continue to provide the 60p-a-day i newspaper for its citizens.

Labour county councillor Robert Evans expressed disappointment at the withdrawal of the papers. “This is another example of how government cuts are really hitting home,” he said.

The council said that providing the papers was “no longer sustainable due to the current challenging financial climate.”