SNP in Moray Council praise budget

Opposition councillors in Moray have hailed the Scottish Government’s proposed financial settlement for the region.

Finance secretary Derek Mackay has announced that he intends to give the authority a total of £153.6million in revenue spending, about 2% less than the current deal.

However, council leader George Alexander has already described the offer as “better than expected”, which could include an extra £1.2million with a 3% rise in council tax.

Moray Council is currently running a consultation which could result in up to £6million of services being cut next year.

Now the opposition SNP group in the region have insisted the Scottish Government proposals will lead to benefits for residents.

Co-leader Shona Morrison said: “After all the doom and gloom from the leader of Moray Council, I hope there will be some acknowledgement of the SNP’s efforts to produce as fair a budget as possible.

“One of the biggest wins is a huge commitment to fund early years childcare expansion, which the council will be responsible for with that extra funding.

“There is a real chance here for the administration to make a serious commitment to pursuing shared services with other local authorities and other agencies, such as the NHS and police. We firmly believe moving in that direction will help to protect our frontline services.”