Councils ‘at cliff edge’ as cash runs short
SCOTLAND’S Finance Secretary was last night locked in a war of words with councils over funding.
Derek Mackay insisted local authorities are getting a “fair settlement”, despite a party colleague insisting many are on a financial “cliff edge”.
Graham Houston, vicepresident of councils’ body Cosla, said: “Are we at the BY DAVID CLEGG cliff edge? I’d say yes. It’s not that we’re advancing, it’s advancing towards us through erosion.
“Some smaller councils at that cliff edge will find difficulty setting a legal budget with no reserves.
“They’re very restricted in what they can do.”
Houston, the SNP leader of Stirling Council, was speaking at the launch of a cross-party campaign by Scotland’s councils to fight for a better deal on finance from the Scottish Government.
They have also called for the reform or replacement of council tax to give them a secure level of funding in future.
Local authority representatives have said they are struggling to maintain core services.
Mackay will set out the Scottish Government’s budget on December 12.
He said: “I will look at the Cosla case for local government funding. They have had a fair settlement in the past and I propose to give them a fair settlement going forward.”