£19bn in Westminster cash for Scotland during crisis
A RECORD £19billion has been spent by UK Ministers in a bid to help Scotland through the coronavirus pandemic, according to latest analysis.
Policies covering the four nations such as the Covid-related employment schemes, business loans and welfare assistance have provided cash north of the Border.
More than £9billlion in Barnett consequentials has been pledged for Scotland.
The Scottish Conservatives have now published an analysis of the funding from the UK Government – insisting that the ‘benefits’ of being part of the Union have ‘never been more evident’.
Figures indicate that more than £6billion has been spent on the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme in Scotland. A further £580million was used to uplift payments made through the welfare system, such as working tax credits and universal credit.
Small and medium- sized businesses benefited from £3billion assistance during lockdown, while Scotland received £8.2billion in Barnett consequentials. An additional £1.3billion in consequentials has already been pledged for the next financial year.
Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Dean Lockhart said: ‘The billions’ worth of support the UK Government has injected into Scotland during the pandemic has made a massive difference to Scots across the entire country.
‘The economic and other benefits of Scotland being part of the United Kingdom has never been more evident. In contrast, the SNP’s response to Covid-19 has been slow and confused. The business grants announced by Kate Forbes this month won’t even be available until 2021.’
The Scottish Government has been criticised throughout the pandemic for support offered to businesses.
When Chancellor Rishi Sunak f i rst announced support grants last year, the SNP initially pledged to match these, with firms to receive payments of £25,000 for each qualifying business premises they owned.
However, the Scottish Government later announced that businesses would be entitled to only one of the payments, regardless of how many properties they owned.
The move sparked outrage amid fears thousands of jobs could be lost and hundreds of firms forced to close their doors.
The Government eventually performed an embarrassing U-turn, with £25,000 payments for a firm’s first property and 75 per cent to all those thereafter.
Concerns have also been raised over how quickly payments are being made by the Government, with tiered restrictions and a second lockdown forcing thousand of firms to close over the festive period.