Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Council in ‘last-ditch’ plea for Holyrood cash
John Alexander, the l eader of Dundee City Council, told members of the policy and resources committee that he had written to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay pleading for a bigger pay out for the city.
His announcement came at a heated meeting last night to discuss the “detrimental” i mpact of nearly £16 million of cuts to the city’s budget.
At the meeting Labour leader Kevin Keenan moved an amendment that the council write to Mr Mackay “call- ing for a fair deal for local government funding in order to avoid damaging cuts in local services”.
He said: “Now is the time to put more pressure on the finance secretary to provide more money for Dundee. I am asking for a cross-party decision in the interests of the city and the people of this city.
“It is time to speak with one voice.”
His views were backed by councillors across the political spectrum,
The Lib Dems’ Craig Duncan added: “We should be speaking with one voice. This is our last chance to appeal to the Scottish Government.”
Mr Alexander said he was doing everything he could to ensure that the city council is given “any and all” financial assistance available.
“We don’t need this amendment. I am already on the job.”
Labour’s Charlie Malone said: “We must speak as one voice to do everything in our power to convince the Scottish Government that it must provide a better settlement for Dundee.”
The Tory’s Philip Scott said: “We are seeing a quadruple whammy — higher council tax, higher income tax, cuts in services and increases to charges of council services.”
Before the meeting, representatives from city trade unions and the antiausterity Dundee Against Cuts movement gathered in City Square to demonstrate over and persuade the council to fight the city’s corner.
Stuart Fairweather, Dundee branch chairman for Unite, said: “We are being told the final overall figure has not been clarified. Before Christmas we were told £20m might be cut, and now we are being told it is £16m that is being taken from the wages of council employees.
“It’s all too much. “We have people in the city going to foodbanks, soup kitchens and sleeping on the streets.
“Tens of thousands of people in Dundee are living in poverty and these cuts will affect them and every Dundonian.”
A “LAST-ditch attempt” has been made to persuade the Scottish Government to give Dundee more money to provide crucial services for its residents.