‘We are being badly let down’

Politicians blasted over lack of action

The SNP group in North Lanarkshire has been slammed by a committee for voting against a motion to protect council services.

At a meeting of the joint consultative committee, which is chaired by a UNISON trade union representative, the SNP members not only voted against writing to the government requesting a fairer budget settlement, but group leader, David Stocks said the SNP Group didn’t even want their names added to the letter.

Joint consultative committee vice- convener Kenneth Duffy said: “This is a disgraceful move by the SNP in North Lanarkshire not to support trade unions and workers who are feeling the pain of the dire financial settlements handed to councils by the SNP government in Holyrood in recent years.

“With £26million of cuts expected this year from the Scottish Government and almost £200million cut from the council’s budget in the last 10 years, SNP councillors should be doing all they can to protect the services of their constituents.

“Instead, not only do they deny that council budgets are being squeezed and workers are feeling the pinch but they even refuse to have their names added to the letter which fights for fainess for local services such as as school transport.

“Members of the public will rightly conclude that if SNP councillors aren’t willing to fight for their constituents’ services then they are nothing more than enablers of austerity in North Lanarkshire on behalf of their SNP government in Edinburgh.”

But David Stocks, SNP Group Leader defended his party’s stance on the matter.

He said: “There was no mention in the motion of the fact that the austerity measures being imposed on councils are the fault of the Tory Central Government at Westminster.”