Scottish budget to pass first stage after Greens deal is struck

The Scottish budget is expected to pass its first stage after a £158 million agreement was reached with the Scottish Greens.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announced the deal yesterday afternoon, 24 hours before the Bill is due to be debated in Holyrood.

As a minority government, SNP ministers need to reach an agreement with other parties to pass the spending pledges.

The Scottish Greens have made such an agreement in the last four years.

Ms Forbes announced a number of changes to the draft budget as a result of the deal, including the addition of £95m for local authorities, which was requested by council umbrella body Cosla.

She pledged an increase of £18m for Police Scotland and a £45m package to tackle climate change, £25m which will be spent on energy efficiency initiatives, £15m given to councils to promote active travel and another £5m will be used to improve rail services.

The finance secretary also said work would be done to assess the legality of free bus travel for those under 19 – a key Green Party demand – with a view to the initiative starting in January 2021.

The agreement reached also ensures the Infrastructure Investment Plan, which is due to be announced this year, will be aligned with the Scottish Government’s plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2045.

Ms Forbes said: “While it is not possible to meet every party’s demands in full, I believe in reaching formal agreement with the Green Party, I am also delivering on key asks from every party and I encourage all MSPs to consider giving their support.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie accused the Greens of “capitulating” to the SNP.