Mean streets! City dwellers face huge cuts

RESIDENTS of Scotland’s biggest cities are facing cuts to public services as cash-strapped councils tighten their belts.

Local authorities in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow can all expect multi-million-pound black holes in their budgets, with schools and library services set to be cut.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes will try to strike a deal to push the Scottish Government’s Budget through Holyrood this week, and has insisted councils are receiving a ‘fair settlement’.

But council umbrella body Cosla warns they will be unable to ‘deliver essential services’.

City of Edinburgh Council is looking to make cuts worth £21 million. It is understood this includes £1 million from schools and nurseries, £500,000 from the police, and £400,000 from sports facilities.

Library budgets are also being slashed, but the council insists this will not affect services.

In Aberdeen, the council has set out a lengthy list of services set to face cuts as it looks to save more than £30 million.

That includes £6 million from schools, £4 million from not filling vacant non-teaching posts and £223,000 from a ‘review’ of the library estate.

Glasgow is expected to make £8 million worth of cutbacks – but it is not yet clear where the axe will fall. Councillors are due to set out their proposals over the coming days.

In her Budget – her last before May’s Holyrood election – Ms Forbes gave councils an additional £90 million on the agreement that they froze council tax.

It is understood all councils have agreed to this – which means Scots will not see their bills increase this year.

However, Cosla warned hikes may be unavoidable in future. Its resources spokesman Gail Macgregor said: ‘Our ask of the Government throughout the Budget process for this year was to give local government the fair funding and flexibility it deserves to be able to deliver the essential services we provide.

‘The settlement for 2021-22 does very little to address years of cuts to our core funding.

‘The increase offered is less than 1 per cent (0.9 per cent increase on last year’s base).’

Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered an additional £1.2 billion for Scotland in his Budget last week.

Ms Forbes has appealed to opposition parties to back her Budget, in order to get it passed at Holyrood on Tuesday.

She said: ‘We are continuing to tackle a global pandemic and I have sought to engage constructively to deliver a Budget that meets the needs of the nation.

‘This Budget provides record funding for our NHS and local government, £832 million for affordable housing and new funding to tackle climate change.’