Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
MSP is out of touch says councillor
Cuts blamed on the Scottish Government
North Lanarkshire Council has hit back at claims made by Fulton MacGregor in the Scottish Parliament that it is responsible for cuts to key services.
During a parliamentary debate last week, the Coatbridge MSP said that food bank usage had increased and many people were struggling to make ends meet as a result of council cuts.
But the local authority’s depute leader, Councillor Paul Kelly, has labelled Mr MacGregor “out of touch”.
Mr Kelly blasted: “Not content with slashing our budget by £230 million over the last 10 years, the Nationalists now want to blame councils for cuts – despite his [Mr MacGregor’s] party quadrupling Westminster austerity and passing it on to areas like North Lanarkshire.
“Our council is on the front line in tackling the mess we’ve inherited from Holyrood and, thanks to the diligence and hard work of staff in our financial inclusion and income maximisation teams, residents have been able to claim £ 8.6m of housing support and £35m of additional income over the last year across North Lanarkshire to mitigate the problems caused by cuts to welfare.
“Mr MacGregor also claims foodbank usage is increasing, yet referrals across North Lanarkshire are down by 22 per cent as a result of the council’s efforts with its partners to provide support and assistance for our most vulnerable; tackling the scourge of food poverty is a key priority for our administration.
“Rather than passing the buck, Mr MacGregor should be asking his own government to do more to help the most vulnerable through their new social security powers.
“He could ask them to increase the Scottish welfare fund – which has been slashed by the Scottish Government in recent years – which would mean more money for crisis grants.
“He could also ask them to stop dragging their heels on their plans for supported housing, which would assist those caught in crisis situations due to domestic violence or homelessness.
“And he could ask them to ensure that the housing element of Universal Credit is paid directly to landlords immediately after the start of their claim to stop people falling into arrears in the first place.”
During the parliamentary debate, Mr MacGregor stated: “The UN special rapporteur said that he was shocked at the Scottish Government spending £125m on welfare mitigation.
“As the MSP covering Coatbridge, it is not a shock to me, as referrals to the local foodbank and Cool School Uniforms [clothing scheme] are going through the roof. People are suffering and North Lanarkshire Council is implementing heavy cuts to key services.”
Mr Kelly added: “We all have a responsibility to do what we can to help the most vulnerable overcome the worst effects of welfare cuts by Westminster and as an administration we are using our powers to do all we can to support those who need it most.
“It ’ s time the Scottish Government did the same.”