‘Poverty is a political choice. Austerity could easily have spared the poor, if the political will had existed to do so’ – Professor Philip Alston Continue reading “A state of denial”: UN Human Rights expert condemns UK Government
Tag: cuts
Silent Slaughter: Capital braced for more council cuts
Another £3 million to be cut – but Council Tax set to rise again
“That’s the real effect of cuts. In local government, you cut the people, you cut a service.”
Council tax will go up and leisure services will be cut under the city city council’s budget proposals for the coming year. The SNP – Labour ‘Capital Coalition’ administration says no jobs will be lost, but service cuts are inevitable despite a better than expected Scottish Government settlement. Trade unions say council services are being ‘silently slaughtered’ and year on year cuts threaten the council’s ability to meet its statutory duties. Continue reading Silent Slaughter: Capital braced for more council cuts
Tories are bad for your health, Macpherson warns
Tory tax proposals could mean cuts of up to £74.2M in NHS Lothian, according to new Scottish Government analysis.
With the Scottish Parliament set to vote on Stage 1 of the budget this month, the Tories are proposing tax cuts for high earners that would leave a £500 million hole in the budget. With health receiving the largest share of devolved spending, a £500 million fall in available spending would see the NHS in the firing line – and NHS Lothian could lose up to £74.2M.
SNP MSP Ben Macpherson said: “Under the SNP, the NHS has record staffing and record funding – and the draft Scottish Government budget would see that funding increased.
“But this investment is only possible because of decisions taken by the Scottish Government, with progressive policies seeing higher earners paying slightly more to support our public services.
“Ruth Davidson’s Tory tax plans would blow a £500 million hole in the Scottish Government’s budget – this would be another Tory cut to Scotland’s public spending, on top of the £2.6bn of cuts that the Tory UK government are already imposing on Scotland over a decade of Westminster austerity.
“Scottish Conservative policies would damage public services in our capital city, including cuts to the NHS, and their Tory cuts would be equivalent to cutting 1777 nurses in our region – the Tories should explain why they’d prefer to give a handout to millionaires than to fund our hospitals.”
|
Territorial Board |
|
£501 million reduction |
Equivalent number of nurses |
|
|
£m |
||
|
Ayrshire and Arran |
|
-37.1 |
888 |
|
Borders |
|
-10.5 |
251 |
|
Dumfries and Galloway |
|
-14.9 |
356 |
|
Fife |
|
-34.1 |
816 |
|
Forth Valley |
|
-27.2 |
651 |
|
Grampian |
|
-49.5 |
1185 |
|
Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
|
-111.9 |
2680 |
|
Highland |
|
-32.3 |
773 |
|
Lanarkshire |
|
-61.9 |
1482 |
|
Lothian |
|
-74.2 |
1777 |
|
Orkney |
|
-2.4 |
57 |
|
Shetland |
|
-2.5 |
59 |
|
Tayside |
|
-39.3 |
941 |
|
Western Isles |
|
-3.3 |
79 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
-501.0 |
12000 |
Letter: Cuts, cuts, cuts
Dear Editor
The continuing cuts in public services of all kinds are taking a dreadful toll on communities throughout the UK, undoing decades of struggle to put them in place.
The continuing fall in the value of wages, particularly now given higher prices every week, should convince the majority of the working population that private ownership of major industries are incapable of any other action.
There have been slumps in varying degrees of severity, the cost of which are passed on to the population: there can be no justification for such callousness in the pursuit of profit-making by privileged financial investors.
All of this show the urgent need for public ownership of at least the essential services: energy distribution, passenger transports of bus, rail and tram, water supply and sewerage – all of these industries should be working for the benefit of all, not a few investors.
We have to move on from the failed system of private ownership; there is no logical reason or sense in not doing so.
Tony Delahoy
Sillverknowes Gardens
Take your seat for Budget Question Time
“We have a strong track record of effective financial management” – Cllr Alisdair Rankin Continue reading Take your seat for Budget Question Time
Letters: Save our local services
Dear Editor
Cuts in funding for services affect people differently; most are appalled at the frequency and the damage it is doing to the local social fabric. But, as always, it is those who most in need of services are denied them, with all the consequences including further isolation within the community.
Pilton Equalities Project (PEP), an organisation based in North Edinburgh, runs many services for local people including:
- Five day care clubs
- Classes and activities in computer training, arts and crafts and literacy and numeracy
- Cooking
- A mental health issues group
These activities are attended by approximately 200 people each week.
PEP minibuses pick up from and return people to their homes; all the buses are staffed with volunteer escorts. Up to 80 other volunteers help throughout the week with other activities.
Funding cuts from the city council or Scottish Government will hit the provision of these services and the very people who are most in need.
PEP makes every effort in appealing to various social and charitable organisations for grants and support to keep these vital services going, but it is not sustainable in the long run if funding cuts continue.
PEP’s volunteers carried out 13,000 hours volunteering for local people in 2016, adding greatly to the quality of life and indeed their health.
As one of those volunteers, the reason for this letter is to raise public understanding of how serious are repeated cuts in funding for local services. With the best will and efforts, volunteers cannot operate on insufficient funding for their organisation.
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
Trade Union lobby for public services
Tomorrow, 10:30am: Scottish Parliament 
UNISON reveals ‘hidden and drastic’ cuts to libraries and community learning services
All Edinburgh libraries face reduced opening hours, some will close and merge with other services, mobile library stops will vanish and Community Learning and Development jobs are to be axed in a £6.4 million cuts package, warns the Edinburgh branch of UNISON, the public service union. Continue reading UNISON reveals ‘hidden and drastic’ cuts to libraries and community learning services
Community groups welcome at Anti-Cuts event
Still time to register for Saturday’s conference
Edinburgh Labour Anti Cuts Conference
Saturday 1 October, 9.15 am – 4.00 pm, St Thomas of Aquin’s High School, 2- 20 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh
Hi, a reminder that if you haven’t already done so you can still register here for Saturday’s event:
Full details of the event can be found here:
We’d really welcome your attendance and involvement.
Saving community space at Craigroyston: complete the survey
Craigroyston Community Centre’s management committee, which oversees the adult community wing at Craigroyston Community High School, has sent out an unofficial audit (see below) to raise awareness of the cuts in community service provision in Craigroyston High School.
Have you used the facilities at Craigroyston? Do you plan to use them, and if not, why not? Please complete the attached survey and email it to
vanessacousins@blueyonder.co.uk
or drop it off at the Community Shop on Pennywell Road.
Thank you,
Craigroyston Community Centre