Local Liberal Democrats comment on the Scottish budget

“The SNP Scottish Government’s budget has a strong sense of smoke and mirrors about it,” according to South Lanarkshire’s Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Robert Brown.

Commenting after the Scottish Budget, Robert Brown went on:

“The Scottish Government got significantly increased funding from the United Kingdom budget settlement and they need to use it well. Their track record on this is not good with justified criticisms from the auditors on their performance.

A lot of key things are promised – pretty vaguely – for next year rather than this year – including the promised replacement for the winter fuel allowance and the abolition of the two child limit. Whether there is funding for all of this is highly questionable.

For much of the rest, the devil is in the detail. I am obviously particularly concerned about funding for local Councils and the services they provide or support – like schools, roads, community care and affordable homes. It is at this stage almost impossible to make out whether Councils have an increase in funding, as the Scottish Government press suggest, or another real terms reduction as the small print suggests. South Lanarkshire Council has to meet a £71 million budget gap over 3 years, caused by previous Scottish Government underfunding together with rises in wage levels, energy and materials costs and general inflation. There is, as yet, no clarity from either the UK or the Scottish Governments as to whether councils – and their voluntary and private sector partners - will be fully compensated for the rise in employers’ national insurance payments.

After 17 years of the SNP, Scotland badly needs a change of Government and a razor-like focus on growing the economy and restoring public services.

I want a Budget settlement that provides funding to councils that will support improvement in schools, the ability to fix the roads and pavements and provide better local services. I appreciate that this takes time but I am not convinced the Budget goes as far as it could to do this.”