Number of Government limos doubles... as SNP preaches about climate
Luxury f leet for Ministers costs taxpayer £3,700 a DAY
THE number of chauffeur-driven cars for Nationalist Ministers has almost doubled in five years.
And the amount spent on the luxury vehicles hit a record high last year – costing the taxpayer more than £1.3 million.
Nicola Sturgeon and her Cabinet were last night branded ‘hypocrites’ over the spending and use of the fleet while declaring a climate emergency.
There are now 41 chauffeur-driven cars available to ferry around ministers, Scottish Government figures show. There were only 25 five years ago.
The cost of the Government Car Service (GCS) was £1,344,978 last year – or £3,685 a day – and £370,300 more than when the SNP took office in 2010.
Scottish Tory environment spokesman Liz
‘It is one rule for politicians and another for the public’
Smith said: ‘The public will be rightly furious to learn about this. Time after time, they hear SNP Ministers declare the seriousness of the climate emergency and that we must all play our part in addressing it.
‘Yet all the time they have been busy nearly doubling their ministerial car pool. It appears as though it is one rule for them and another for the public.’
Greenpeace UK transport campaigner Sam Chetan-Welsh said:
‘The SNP claims it is investing over £1 billion every year in public transport to encourage people out of their cars, but Ministers are doing the very opposite. What happened to leading by example?
‘Talking the talk is all well and good but if the Scottish Government wants to be taken seriously in its effort to cut toxic air pollution and tackle the climate emergency, Ministers should leave chauffeurdriven cars at home and literally walk the walk.’
In April last year, the First Minister declared a climate emergency during a flagship speech at the SNP conference. She said that the Scottish Government would ‘live up to our responsibility’ to halt climate change and promised a raft of measures to help the environment.
With a large percentage of all Scottish emissions coming from transport, especially cars and lorries, Ms Sturgeon has also set a number of ‘go green’ targets for motorists. Local authorities are allowed to set up Low Emission Zones which ban certain models of cars or vehicles of a certain age from congested city centres.
A target has also been set to phase out all new petrol and diesel cars by 2032.
Last week, in a written answer to a question from Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes revealed that there were now 41 cars at Ministers’ disposal.
Of these vehicles, 21 are either electric or hybrid models. In 2019, Ministers made an average of 25 journeys every day in the chauffeur-driven cars, which are used to ferry them and high-ranking officials between their homes, work and appointments.
The cost of the cars is now at its highest yet – with the final bill of more than £1.3 million accounting for chauffeur salaries, employer’s contributions, fuel, vehicle maintenance, private hire and travel and subsistence.
Last night, a spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘The increase in the number of vehicles reflects periods of investment where new, more environmentally friendly vehicles have been procured, and the vehicles being replaced were not disposed of immediately, but retained and disposed of at a later date.
‘We are committed to phasing out petrol and diesel cars from the public sector fleet by 2025 and replacing fossil-fuelled vehicles with plug-in or fully electric vehicles where appropriate.’