Labour councillors in threat to quit cross-party budget group
LABOUR councillors have threatened to quit a cross party working group set up to plan Glasgow’s budget next year.
Leading figures in the group have hit out at city treasurer Alan Gow after he claimed the new working group would make budget planning more “consensual”.
Malcolm Balfour, who was due to represent Labour on the working group, insisted that he is not prepared to be locked-in to an agreement which limit his party’s right to produce its own budget.
And he accused Mr Gow of exploiting the working group for his own political gain.
In a letter to the city treasurer, Mr Balfour said: “I emphasised on several occasions that I did not consider that the existence of the working group precluded the traditional process by which individual political groups can formulate and present their own budget for consideration by full council.
“I deeply regret the impression that has now been given.
“I find it difficult not to conclude that you have done this deliberately, knowingly and in pursuit of your own political objectives rather than any genuine attempt at consensus.”
Mr Balfour said that the working group was simply supposed to be an opportunity to examine departmental budget options in detail without being a decisionmaking body.
He added that if Mr Gow did not clarify the terms of the working group’s purpose, he would immediately withdraw Labour’s participation.
His comments were in response to a statement released by Mr Gow on Thursday evening, in which he claimed Glasgow had coped well with 10 years of financial challenges but said the scale of savings was unlikely to reduce.
Mr Gow added that he hoped the working group would be the start of a more “consensual way of working for the people of Glasgow”.
The council is facing cuts of around £60m from April, and council departments are being asked to propose savings. For the first time, the council will establish a
news@ eveningtimes. co.uk budget cross-party working group, with all four parties meeting weekly to look at options for saving cash.
The full cost of cuts won’t be known until Scottish Government Finance Secretary Derek Mackay publishes his draft budget next month and reveals how much cash the council will get from Holyrood. Council cuts totalled £165m in the last three years and it is expected the demand to find more savings will continue.