Politicians lay down funding question ahead of Cabinet visit

Scottish Conservative politicians have called on the SNP Government to give northeast councils a fairer funding deal as Montrose hosts a Cabinet visit today.

Liam Kerr MSP and Kirstene Hair MP have highlighted cuts to local government budgets across the region as Scottish ministers descend upon the Angus town.

They said estimates from the local authority suggest that Angus Council faces a realterms cut of £50 million a year over the next four years.

The figures are based on the expectation that the SNP government will not fund an expected 3% rise in inflation over the next four years in addition to an anticipated reduction of £20 million in grant funding.

Neighbouring Aberdeenshire is the third-lowest funded council in Scotland.

North East MSP Mr Kerr said: “Councils across the northeast are again having to deal with cuts to their budgets for the year ahead.

“This is money paying for vital services such as schools, roads maintenance, bin collections and elderly care.

“In addition to council funding, there are serious problems for ministers to address in Angus.

Ms Hair said: “The Cabinet’s visit to Angus today will provide good photo opportunities for Ministers, but it needs to be much more than that.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult for local authorities such as Angus to deliver services in the face of ongoing cuts from the SNP government.

“I hope that ministers will listen to the concerns of the council administration and address the projected shortfall for the coming years and help protect local services.”