The SNP government’s Finance Bill is facing defeat tomorrow unless Finance Minister Derek Mackay can negotiate a last ditch deal with the Scottish Greens.
The SNP is a minority government: they have 62 MSPs but 65 votes are needed to get their Budget through parliament, so they must negotiate a deal with one of the other parties.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said that his party will not be voting for the draft budget in its current form, ahead of the stage one debate in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.
Mr Rennie said: “Scottish Liberal Democrats are not asking for the world. We want to deliver a progressive budget that delivers on education, mental health and local government funding.
“However, we have also been clear that independence would mean less money for public services. That’s why it needs to be taken off the table for the remainder of this parliament.
“If the SNP park the issue of independence for the rest of this Parliament then we could reach a comprehensive and progressive deal on the budget. As it stands we will not be voting for the budget at stage one.”
With the Lib Dems (5 MSPs) unwilliing to talk unless the SNP remove the ‘threat’ of a second independence referendum, the spotlight falls on the Scottish Greens (6 MSPs) as a potential partner to deliver the budget. The Scottish Greens are playing hard ball, however.
On Sunday, Scottish Greens co-convener and finance spokesesperson Patrick Harvie warned that his party would not support the Budget unless the government increases local government funding.
Over the last two years, constructive pressure from the Scottish Greens has resulted in the government cancelling over £300 million of planned cuts to council budgets. The 2019/20 budget contains fresh proposed cuts, with councils across Scotland warning of dire consequences.
Edinburgh faces cuts of £41 million and is preparing to slash 300 jobs, Glasgow is considering closing all community facilities such as swimming pools and sports centres, Clackmannanshire is proposing a shorter school week and school closures and Moray is getting ready to axe swimming pools, libraries and public toilets.
Earlier this month Patrick Harvie raised the issue at First Minister’s Questions, highlighting cuts to school support for pupils with additional support needs in Falkirk.
This is the 12th budget the SNP have presented to Parliament since taking office in 2007. Of those, agreement has been reached with the Greens on four previous occasions.
Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie MSP said: “The Greens went into this year’s budget process with a precondition of progress on local tax reform, to make council budgets less dependent on the Government in future.
“I’m convinced that a solid package of measures can be agreed, which over the coming years would empower Scotland’s councils and finally end the unfair Council Tax. But the Government seem determined to force through a hugely damaging budget for 2019/20, decimating local services around the country. That’s not something we can support.
“As councils prepare to set their budgets for the coming year the threat to jobs, services like education and community facilities such as swimming pools and libraries is very real. A crisis in local services can be avoided, but it will require a fundamental change of position from the Scottish Government.
“SNP Ministers do have options for finding the funds needed to protect council budgets, and as we always do the Greens have offered constructive and realistic proposals at every stage. The ball is now back in the Government’s court. If the Government continues to refuse to accept our proposals or even come up with fair alternatives, we cannot vote for this budget when it comes to Parliament on Thursday.
“Given the huge uncertainty being caused by SNP Ministers’ stubbornness, I’ve no doubt council workers and service users will be astonished that we’re in this situation at such a late stage. It underlines the need to give real financial powers to the local level so our front line public services are not so reliant on the whims of central government. That long-term agenda of fairer funding is one that Scottish Greens will continue to pursue regardless of this year’s outcome.”
He concluded: “If Derek Mackay thinks he can reach agreement with another opposition party, he will have to hurry. But if he still wants Green support, he knows that we will not accept the scale of cuts to local services that even his own SNP colleagues in councils around the country are telling him cannot be tolerated.”
The current Budget proposals would see £11.1 billion allocated to Scotland’s councils, a “real terms increase” according to Mr Mackay. But, facing defeat, will he find more money for local government to clinch Green support?
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