Sturgeon under fire as local authorities face £327m of cuts

Councils are in crisis because Nicola Sturgeon has turned into Scotland’s “minister for cuts”, Labour’s deputy leader has claimed.

Alex Rowley said his party would invest in Scotland’s public services as he prepared to launch its campaign for May’s local government elections.

The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP and former Fife Council leader, who has been appointed by Kezia Dugdale as local government campaign manager, will deliver a speech pointing to cuts of £327 million to services in the Scottish Government’s draft budget.

He said: “Scottish Labour believes that council services are at the heart of people’s lives and we will always protect them.

“The First Minister promised voters she would be a champion of the poor and the working class. Instead, she has become the nation’s minister for cuts.

“This year, the cuts to local government will amount to £327m. Our councils are in crisis.”

Councillor Susan Aitken, the SNP’s campaign co-chairwoman for the election, accused her opponents of “having a cheek” to criticise the Nationalists for reducing authorities’ budgets.

She said: “It says it all about Labour that they have been almost completely silent about the years of cuts that the Tories have been inflicting on Scotland’s budget from Westminster.”

Alex Rowley says Labour will invest in public services.