Humza Yousaf: I want to thrash out new deal on council funding
HUMZA Yousaf said he wants to “thrash out” a new deal for council funding in his first weeks if he becomes Scotland’s first minister.
Glasgow City Council has made the latest round of cuts in a now annual event that has seen half a billion pounds wiped from its budget in the last 10 years.
Yousaf said the Scottish Government has suffered cuts from Westminster and he wanted to look at giving the council more freedom to spend its allocated resources.
In an interview with the Glasgow Times, Yousaf said: “What I would want to do is give, where I can, the appropriate and adequate level of funding to local government and funding flexibility.
“That’s about loosening ring- fencing for example. We know that local authorities tell us they feel constrained by ring- fencing.
“Can we loosen that, so they have more flexibility to spend that money on priorities that they think matter to the people that they represent?
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t give them more money. I’d be happy to review both the funding and the funding mechanisms.”
He added: “I’d be really keen, in the first days and weeks and months of my leadership, to get round the table with local government and thrash out a new deal that they’re satisfied they have the flexibility they need and that we’re satisfied they will also meet those national outcomes which are so important including of course the reduction of poverty.”
In the first of our interviews
with the SNP leadership contenders, Yousaf also admits that the drug deaths record in Glasgow is “shameful” and the Government has to “step up”.
The health secretary said if he is first minister he will continue with the national mission and funding – set out by Nicola Sturgeon after she admitted to taking her “eye off the ball” when drug deaths soared to record levels across Scotland.
Yousaf said: “I wouldn’t disagree that drug deaths, the number of people who are dying using drugs in Scotland, is shameful and it’s a stain on our collective conscience and we have got to as a government make sure we are stepping up.
“So first and foremost, I’d be committed to the national mission.
“When I appoint, if I’m first minister, a minister for drugs policy, they would report directly to me as first minister, much as they do at the moment so that again shows
the national importance.”
He said he wanted action for the UK Government on a safe consumption room, wanted more heroinassisted treatment and a greater roll- out of the overdose reversal drug naloxone.
Yousaf added: “I know we’re talking about drugs but there’s more we can do around the variety of programmes we have in relation to tackling alcohol abuse which are often interlinked.
“I would make sure we are doing everything we can to use that £ 50m a year we’ve committed, to get that out to the grassroots community organisations, in Glasgow of course, but across the country who have the experience of helping people who have substance abuse issues.”
On tackling poverty, Yousaf said he also wants to give the council more control.
He said: “I think we should look to devolve more power to local gov
ernment. We should look at funding flexibilities, Ricky Bell, City Treasurer, has some ideas on making local government in Glasgow more flexible so that they can spend money on the eradication of poverty.
“They have a good record on that but there are still challenges. I know from speaking to Glasgow City Council the thousands of children they’ve been able to lift out of poverty since 2017, so I think we should empower local government.”
He wants to “accelerate” childcare to include one and two- yearolds and go further on current Scottish Government policies.
He added: “I also want to see what we can do to increase the fuel insecurity fund, without a shadow of a doubt fuel insecurity is a challenge right across Scotland but here in Glasgow as well.
“I’d certainly be open about what more we can do around the
You have to build more affordable homes and I’m absolutely committed to building those additional 110,000 homes by 2032
game- changing Scottish Child Payment as well which I know has been transformational in relation to child poverty.”
On homelessness, Yousaf said more housing was a priority.
He said it was the “number one issue in his Pollok constituency”.
He said: “The solution to it is to build more affordable homes and get those properties that are empty into the social rented sector.”
He said: “First and foremost you have to build more affordable homes and I’m absolutely staunch in my commitment to building those additional 110,000 homes by 2032.
“Also, I want to provide local authorities with £ 25m to buy back empty properties and put them into the social rented sector, not into private landlords’ hands as other parties are suggesting.”