‘Sandal-wearing watermelons’ save the day!
SNP MSPs have welcome the Scottish Government’s Budget saying that communities across Edinburgh are set to benefit from greater support as a result. They herald £1.3bn for NHS Lothian, as well as £230m to deliver new Sick Children’s Hospital and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh and funding to complete the Queensferry Crossing. Opposition politicians have lambasted the Greens for supporting the budget.
The Scottish Government’s Budget was passed with the support of the Scottish Greens yesterday and Edinburgh MSPs have criticised their Labour, Tory and Lib Dem opponents for failing ‘to support investment for Edinburgh in the budget’.
Ben Macpherson MSP, Ash Denham MSP and Gordon MacDonald MSP have condemned the approach taken by the three parties, providing opposition for opposition’s sake rather than supporting investment in communities throughout Edinburgh.
SNP MSP Ben Macpherson said: “This Scottish Government budget provides a strong funding deal for Edinburgh giving spending commitments in the NHS, education, infrastructure, environment and the economy. For the opposition parties, with the exception of the Greens, to vote against all of this was deeply disappointing and against the best interests of our communities.”
MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Ash Denham said: “Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems should think again before choosing to rob Edinburgh of these vital services in a narrow-minded campaign designed to achieve nothing more than embarrassing the SNP Scottish Government. This budget is too important for our communities to allow that to happen.”
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald said: “Edinburgh itself will benefit from a range of direct spending commitments, including £1.3bn for NHS Lothian; £230m to deliver new Sick Children’s Hospital and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh; and continuation for Growth Accelerator model, which will improve the NHS for everyone across Edinburgh as well as support growth right across Scotland’s capital.
“It was disappointing to see Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories be more interested in political point scoring rather than standing up for their local communities in Edinburgh – but there’s still time for them to drop their opposition and back the Scottish Government’s proposals as the Budget Bill progresses.”
Political point scoring? Surely not!
Convenor of city council’s Economy Committeel SNP Councillor Gavin Barrie said: “In this time of Westminster imposed austerity any further funds coming the way of Local Authorities from Scottish Government has to be welcomed.
“The fact that an extra £160 million for councils to use as they deem fit, on top of the £240 million additional resources already being made available for Councils, is not only a welcome boost to Council coffers but a pleasing vote of confidence in Local Government in that the extra money can be used locally as required where the greatest need exists.”
Edinburgh Greens are welcoming the party’s historic deal to secure £160million of additional funds from the Scottish Government to protect local council services such as schools and social care. They say this agreement could mean an extra £10million in revenue and £2million in capital for the city of Edinburgh Council.
Following discussions with Green MSPs over the draft Scottish budget, Scottish Ministers agreed to abandon their proposed tax giveaway for higher earners and provide a total of £160million for local councils to spend on local priorities.
Edinburgh’s Green councillors will now argue that the extra revenue should, for example:
– Save libraries from a £2.55m cut
– Restore £1m cut from welfare advice and homelessness services
– Head off a cut of £400k from swimming pools and sports halls
– Stop £300k being cut from support staff in Additional Support Needs schools
It would also allow the council to:
– Re-consider the disastrous decision to withdraw repairs from stair lighting in tenements at £250k rising to £500k
– Invest an extra £2m in schools repairs
– Put another £500k into safe and clean streets
Alison Johnstone MSP said: “Greens stand firmly with communities in Edinburgh and public sector workers affected by cuts and closures, and these new funds secured by Green MSPs mean we can start to repair the damage done by years of underfunding and lack of local flexibility.
“In practice this change allows the council to reflect again on cuts proposed by the Labour-SNP-led council in January 2016; to increase investment in hard-pressed service areas; and to fund new energy efficiency works which will reduce budget pressures going forward.
“This is the biggest budget concession in Holyrood’s history. Other parties effectively ruled themselves out of constructive dialogue. My Green colleagues in Parliament have achieved more in a single budget than the Labour Party has in a decade of opposition.
“This is, however, only the start of a journey on restoring financial powers at local level.”
Unsurprisingly the main opposition parties at Holyrood have reacted furiously to the budget. The Tories say Scots will pay more tax, Labour say tax hikes don’t go far enough – and both parties took the opportunity to gang up on the poor wee Greens for ‘propping up’ the SNP!
Tory Murdo Fraser accused the SNP cabinet of “swallowing hook, line and sinker the Green Party’s ‘hard-left, high-tax agenda’.
Fraser went on (and on): “They have let Patrick Harvie pull all the strings and it will be hard working Scottish families that suffer as a consequence.
“The finance secretary had a choice going into today’s debate. He could have come with us, drop his plans to make Scotland the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom and work together with us to deliver an ambitious Budget focused on growing the economy.
“Or he could turn sharp left and embrace the anti-growth, anti-business agenda of the Green Party. What a pity, what a tragedy for Scotland that he chose to throw in his lot with the lentil-munching, sandal-wearing watermelons on that side of the chamber.”
Labour’s Holyrood leader Kezia Dugdale added: “To accept anything less than bold use of this parliament’s tax powers is an astonishing and deeply disappointing revelation from the Greens.
“And let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t the Greens’ responsibility to parliament shining through, it’s the responsibility they have put on themselves to do nothing which might jeopardise the prospect of another divisive independence referendum.
“This is the truth – nationalism first, austerity second, and somewhere down the list of credentials you might just find the environment.”
“Today will be remembered as the day that the Greens abandoned any claim to be part of the progressive left.”
Greens Patrick Harvey hit back: ““Today the Greens have achieved the biggest budget compromise in the history of devolution in Scotland. Is Labour’s posturing protecting a single council service? Have they prevented a single council cut?”
Dearie, dear – could there just be an election looming?
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