Council leader to hold summit with finance chief over funding

Direct plea made to Government for more money

Angus Council leader Bob Myles has been promised a meeting with the Scottish Government’s finance secretary to discuss local authority funding.

Mr Myles has expressed his frustration that the amount the Scottish Government allocates to councils has declined.

At a public meeting of the Cabinet in Montrose on Tuesday, Mr Myles made a direct plea for Angus Council to be given more cash.

Addressing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the other members of the Cabinet, he said: “Like you, we have great desire to deliver the best public service we possibly can but that is getting increasingly more difficult over the past years with the reduction in the percentage of the Scottish budget that goes to local authorities.

“Please give us the confidence and the money to go along with delivering the service. We can do it and make this a community and a country we can all be proud of. Give us the wherewithal and we will deliver.”

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said he would arrange a meeting with Mr Myles on the issue.

He said: “I’ve started to meet council leaders and representatives of local authorities about future budget settlements.

“At the last budget we increased resources to the tune of around £400 million spending power for local services but there’s a fair discussion to be had around individual spending items and total settlement for local governments.”

Mr Myles said he welcomed the meeting but hit out at the SNP government for holding money back for “pet projects”.

He said: “What galls me is that we all know we are in tighter times but they are getting more money every year from Westminster and the block grant that local government gets is reduced every year.

“I’m wanting a bit of equity so that we get the same percentage that we’ve always had. They like to keep back a war chest of their own for various pet projects.

“That money has to come from somewhere and at the moment it seems to be coming from the block grant going to local authorities. We have to make massive savings every year.

“If we are given the money then we can make a decision about how best we can utilise it. If we had that money then I think we would have better ways of spending it than some of the government initiatives.”

They like to keep back a war chest of their own for various pet projects. BOB MYLES