A LEADING children’s author has attacked moves by a Scottish council to axe school librarians as part of cost cutting moves.

Debi Gliori, whose 2012 novel What's the Time, Mr Wolf? was nominated for a Scottish Book Trust award, described the move as a "dreadful cost-cutting exercise".

She said: "In the same council authority as the new Trident missiles will be located, it's unbelievable that at one end of Argyll there will be billions spent on weapons of debatable usefulness and at the other there will be a clawback of an essential resource which has time and again proven to be of life-changing value."

The campaigning group Save Scotland School’s Libraries also expressed "utter astonishment" at the decision by Argyll and Bute Council to remove all 10 librarians from schools at a time when public toilets and hanging baskets will be protected.

A spokesman said no children would have access to a professionally qualified librarian in school and - on the islands of Mull, Tiree and Islay - pupils would have no access to a library service at all.

He added: "We firmly believe that school libraries are unique in their ability to support teaching and learning and should be the central resource of every school, open every day and staffed by a professionally trained librarian. We believe that all learners should have equal access to a qualified school librarian.

"The council decision to remove all ten school librarians is utterly disgraceful. There will be an enormous impact in schools and it us undoubtedly pupils who will suffer most from this outrageous decision.

"It is completely unfair that the pupils of Argyll and Bute will now become educationally disadvantaged from their peers elsewhere in Scotland."

However, Dick Walsh, the council leader, said the decisions made meant that, despite significant financial challenges, the council could continue to deliver a huge range of services.

He said: "We can provide much of what our communities have told us they want and we can invest in regeneration and the prosperity Argyll and Bute deserves.

"This is a time of unprecedented challenge for local government and drastically reduced funding means we had a savings target of over £10 million in 2016/17 alone."