Council cuts cost £134 a head
Rutherglen and Cambuslang residents are £134 a head worse off under SNP austerity, according to Labour’s finance spokesman James Kelly.
Analysis commissioned by the MSP shows that SNP cuts to council budgets since 2013-14 have cost residents in South Lanarkshire more than £134 a head.
Mr Kelly said the figures, provided by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), laid bare the price of SNP austerity. Scottish Labour has persistently called on the SNP to use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to end austerity and invest in lifeline services. Mr Kelly said:“The SNP has slashed funding in recent years. “Every day I speak to residents in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, and we all know the impact that these Nationalist cuts have had on our area. Schools are more stretched, there are fewer libraries open and councils are struggling to keep roads maintained.”
In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson said:“In spite of continued UK Government cuts to Scotland’s resource budget, we have treated local government very fairly.
“In 2018-19 councils will receive funding through the local government finance settlement of £10.7bn, delivering a real terms increase in both revenue and capital funding.”
Mr Kelly’s comments follow last week’s Accounts Commission report on the dire state of Scottish council finances. It revealed that councils have suffered a near 10 per cent real terms cut in budgets since 2010.