The vulnerable are paying the price of cuts
Dear Editor,
The budget cuts within Stirling Council finance statements are at worst disastrous, and at least, not unexpected. Once again, we see a ‘double whammy’ for tenants with an almost three per cent rent rise and a seven per cent council tax charge. Yet again the most vulnerable in our communities paying the heavy price for services which we see being depleted year on year.
Finance support coming from the Scottish Government has lessened in real terms and has affected the ability of local government to operate properly to provide services that our deprived communities depend on.
Cllr Mclaughlan, rather than call on the administration budget as “nonsense”, would have done better to pressure his political masters at the Scottish Parliament to properly finance local Government and defend local services which he so adamantly supports.
Neither is it acceptable that the SNP solely blame the UK parliament for the failures, as his party in government have continuously mismanaged funds such as £700m Black hole in finances, wasted resources in schemes such as the Ferry fiasco, NHS, Social Care, Social Justice, Transport etc.
I’m not in favour of any cuts in services as, for me,
I’d rather declare an illegal budget and stand up against the SNP Government, to at least try to protect our most vulnerable.
I’m not going to make any friends with these comments, but I don’t care about that.
What I do care about is the lack of concern by some local politicians to really stand up and be counted instead of bleating that it’s somebody else’s fault.
Hugh Mcclung MBE Tenant
Fundingcut Dear Editor,
The recent regrettable cessation of funding for Douglas and Tory Sistema in Dundee and Aberdeen, a cut backed up by SNP councillors saying that Sistema wasn’t ‘delivering’, contrasted with a 10 per cent cut at Stirling Sistema where Labour has consistently backed it as community transforming since its start in 2008.
Now the First Minister has stepped in and found £1.5m to restore funding, to a chorus of SNP approval by those same councillors who applauded the cuts.
However, if only those councils doing the wrong thing are rewarded, this is grossly unfair.
Sistema Stirling and Sistema Glasgow should also now be funded in full.
This will release funds in Stirling to reverse some of the cuts which no party wanted but were necessary to balance the budget.
I hope that Evelyn Tweed, our MSP who was quick to condemn even the 10 per cent cut, will lobby for this fair funding. Richard Simpson OBE, FRCGP, Frcpsych, DPM, DIPSHEB