Stirling Council Labour Group Leader, Councillor Danny Gibson, has today written to all local MSPs urging them not to support any minority Scottish Government budget that inflicts further financial pain and austerity on Scotland’s Local Authorities.
The letter, sent to constituency MSPs Bruce Crawford and Keith Brown, along with all Mid-Scotland and Fife list MSPs urges them to:
“show your support for our remarkable council staff and our treasured local services by pledging not to support a budget that inflicts more austerity, more cuts and more unnecessary pain on Local Authorities.”
The letter comes just days before SNP Finance Secretary Derek Mackay is due to deliver his budget. Last week the Accounts Commission said that Local Authority budgets have fallen across Scotland by 7.6% in real terms since 2011.
Councillor Gibson said,
“Whatever way the minority Scottish Government choose to dress it up, Scotland’s Local Authorities have less money to spend on essential services than they did 6 years ago. We are heading towards a cliff for local services and rather than throw us a lifeline, the minority Scottish Government is pushing us closer to the edge. It must stop and it must stop now. We need the support of all of our local MSPs to stop more council cuts.”
The full text of Councillor Gibson’s letter can be read below:
Dear
Funding for Local Authorities in 2018/19
Next week the minority Scottish Government will publish its budget for the coming year. This will include information on the grant being given to Local Authorities, including here in Stirling.
I am writing today to ask you to pledge to NOT support any Scottish Government budget that imposes more austerity and financial pain on Local Authorities.
Last week the Accounts Commission confirmed that Local Authority budgets fell in real terms in 2017/18 compared to 2016/17 and have fallen across Scotland by 7.6% in real terms since 2011. This has resulted in 30,000 local government job losses over this period and Unison Scotland state that nine out of ten austerity job losses in Scotland have been in Councils”.
Whatever way the Scottish Government choose to dress it up, Scotland’s Local Authorities have less money to spend on essential services than they did 6 years ago.
If the Scottish Government do not act now to reverse the hugely damaging approach they are taking to Local Government finances, the question we must ask is not if council services will break, but when will they break?
We are heading towards a cliff for local services and rather than throw us a lifeline, the Scottish Government is pushing us closer to the edge. It must stop and it must stop now. We need the support of all of our local MSPs to stop more council cuts.”
The Scottish Parliament has never had so many economic levers to use to support our vital local services. We need a wholescale review of council tax, rather than the tinkering around the edges we saw last year. We need to use the tax raising powers of the Scottish Parliament to protect, not cut, the local services our citizens rely on every day.
You can show your support for our remarkable staff and our treasured local services by pledging not to support a budget that inflicts more austerity, more cuts and more unnecessary pain on Local Authorities.
I urge you to tell Finance Minister Derek MacKay this before next week’s budget.
On budget day, you have a voice inside the chamber at Holyrood and, more importantly, a vote.
Kind regards
Councillor Danny Gibson
Labour Group Leader on Stirling Council
ENDS