Budget balancing

This week’s Scottish budget will have to do a lot more than simply give a pay rise to NHS staff if the ailments of our health and care services are to be properly addressed (‘NHS pressures “not sustainable” as nurses hit ‘breaking point’ over pay’, Scotsman, 12 December).

With funding having to be limited, any party would find balancing public finances a great challenge given the strain on our critical public services. But NHS Scotland needs substantial additional resources if frontline staff are to be given a fair chance to deliver the quality of service they strive for.

Equally, news of lengthening waiting times for vulnerable elderly patients getting care packages highlights the pressures of ever increasing demand.

The SNP can raise taxes to make more funds available, but at the same time should be more honest about many of their universal benefits that take funds away from some core health and education services without care for where the need is greatest.

The time has come for the SNP to make some hard decisions that put the well-being of Scotland’s people before political popularity.

KEITH HOWELL West Linton, Peeblesshire There are 242,000 local authority workers in Scotland. Most of them are about to get a pay rise of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent costing between £100m and £300m, paid for by a tax rise of up to £290m.

The Scottish Government has a huge deficit. Patrick Harvie may be forcing the SNP to use up all the tax gains to pay for these pay rises but he must be in on the real mission, which is to get rid of staff.

Angus Council is getting rid of 800 of their 4,000 staff in the next three years. If this is typical almost 50,000 council workers across Scotland will lose their jobs.

This will easily pay for pay rises for those remaining. And, assuming they will be retrained, make a big dent in our skills shortages and calls for more immigrants ALLAN SUTHERLAND Willow Row, Stonehaven