Don’t waste vital UK cash help
DURING this time of crisis, this year’s Scottish Budget is our opportunity to put the national interest of rebuilding Scotland from the devastating impact of coronavirus above party political priorities.
While this budget is being delivered in challenging circumstances, the SNP government starts from a position of great strength, thanks to the generosity and deep pockets of the UK government.
The Scottish Government’s budget is being increased by £1.1 billion to its largest ever level. On top of this, it is being given an additional £1.3 billion to manage the impact of coronavirus in Scotland.
This brings the total amount of additional funding Scotland has received to deal with the pandemic to just shy of £10 billion.
These numbers are so large they almost become abstract. But you don’t need to be an economist to know it all adds up to a colossal contribution which showcases the immense support the UK Treasury has delivered to Scotland.
In addition to this huge sum, Rishi Sunak’s Treasury continues to directly bankroll the
UK-wide furlough scheme and bounce-back loans.
Yet before we consider what to do with these additional resources next year, we first need a plan to deliver support to companies and other services right now.
Businesses the length and breadth of Scotland are on life support. The SNP is still sitting on hundreds of millions of pounds in unallocated funding or unpaid business support in this year’s budget. So our first demand is for an economic plan on how the Scottish Government intends to rapidly get cash out to them for the remainder of this financial year.
The second step is giving businesses the certainty to recover and grow next year as we ease restrictions (thanks, of course, to the UK’s world-beating vaccination programme).
Kate Forbes’s default position is to blame the UK Government and complain that she does not have sufficient funding. When she delivers her budget on Thursday, she must not hike income tax any further.
In previous Budgets, the Nationalists have made Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK – motivated by virtue-signalling as opposed to good sense.
We are also calling for the SNP to begin to deliver a fair funding settlement for our councils. Over the SNP’s 14 years in government, we have seen them raiding council budgets to fund their own pet priorities.
The pandemic has shown us the importance of local government in being at the coal face of providing support for individuals and businesses.
Thursday’s Budget is the SNP’s chance to act in the national interest, ditch their absurd referendum plan and focus 100 per cent on managing coronavirus and our economic recovery. That is our ultimate test of whether this SNP Budget delivers for Scotland.