Tag: SNP

Council will set budget on 20 February

The city council has announced a new timetable to enable councillors to agree a three-year budget on 20 February.

Following confirmation from the Scottish Government that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work intends to outline his spending plans on 6 February, a special Finance & Resources Committee has been added to the council diary on 14 February, where proposals for spending and investing will be considered in more detail.

A series of proposals developed by Council officers, which have been shared with all political groups in the City Chambers, will be developed into Coalition proposals and published on 10 February.

No decisions have yet been made and officers continue to explore a number of options based on previous feedback from residents and council employees.

However whether the budget is for one year or three, one thing is inevitable: communites face yet more cuts to services.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Despite the uncertainty brought about by delays to the UK Government’s budget announcement, we’re committed to setting a balanced three-year budget for Edinburgh – paving the way for record capital investment in our schools and transport over the next 10 years.

“We’ve already started outlining our long-term plans for making the city more sustainable and accessible while managing our city’s growth more fairly and effectively. But to reach these goals, we need to act now and make the smartest use of the resources we have available.

“Yes, there will be some difficult decisions we’ll need to make – that’s no secret. But it’s extremely disappointing that budget information, much of it inaccurate, has found its way into the public domain, causing unnecessary alarm in our communities.

“We won’t let this cloud the process or stand in the way of our priority, which is to agree the best budget for the people of Edinburgh; one that supports people out of poverty, responds to the climate crisis and allows our residents to share in our city’s success.”

The ciy council is currently run by a SNP – Labour ‘Capital Coalition’ – the majority SNP group supported by Labour’s twelve  councillors.

Council Depute Leader, Labour’s Cammy Day, added: “While many Councils across the country will be meeting next month or even later to set a one-year budget, we’re going further, outlining our spending plans until March 2023.

“Despite challenging budgets and continued pressure on local government finance, we will set a three year budget to allow the Council, partner organisations and our residents some certainty for the next few years.

“We will prioritise and invest in the areas our citizens have told us really matter to them, with a focus on poverty and sustainability. I’m confident that our future planning will see the capital city with a positive and progressive outlook for the future.”

‘Democracy must and will prevail’: Scotland’s right to choose

The democratic case for Scotland having the ability to choose its own constitutional future has been published.

The paper – entitled “Scotland’s Right to Choose: Putting Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s Hands” – lays out the detailed case for how and why the country should be able to have the choice of independence in a referendum. Continue reading ‘Democracy must and will prevail’: Scotland’s right to choose

Nicola Sturgeon: “a brighter, better future is possible”

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday:

Tomorrow we go to the polls in an election which could determine Scotland’s future path for many years to come.

Brexit, the NHS, and the very future of Scotland are at stake – and the nightmare scenario is surely the possibility of 5 years of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

Chaos, confusion and a rallying of his right wing Brexiteers have been the hallmarks of Boris Johnson’s time in Downing Street. All of that – coupled with the damage of austerity and welfare cuts – means that this us the the time to end the Tories’ ruinous reign.

This election campaign has certainly flown by – and for those of us pounding the streets, it’s fair to say that the month of December wouldn’t be our first choice to be out knocking doors.

I’ve been out and about all over Scotland speaking to people, and although the weather may have been cold, the reception for the SNP’s message in this campaign has been warm.

But while I’ve been out and about speaking to people, Boris Johnson seems to be going to all sorts of lengths to avoid scrutiny. He has dodged TV interviews and debates left, right and centre – and has done his level best to avoid speaking to ordinary voters in Scotland.

It is little wonder he refuses to be challenged on his policies when all the evidence is that they will cause such deep and lasting damage to our NHS, workers’ rights, the economy and to living standards for this and generations to come.

Boris Johnson’s repeated claim that Brexit will effectively be wrapped up by Christmas is the biggest con since the one painted on the side of the Vote Leave bus – and it demonstrates why people are right not to trust him.

The truth is that Brexit will not be ‘done’ any time soon – even if Boris Johnson succeeds in dragging Scotland out of the EU with the UK. What follows will be years – potentially decades – of arguing over trade deals and future relationships. Let’s remember that leaving was supposed to be the easy part.

This brings me to another issue that is on the line in this election – the NHS. Although health is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, meaning the Scottish Government has responsibility for running Scotland’s NHS, we don’t have control over things like trade negotiations – and these could have a fundamental effect on our health service.

Notwithstanding all the panicky denials during the campaign, we know that Boris Johnson is desperate to do a trade deal with Donald Trump. We also know that US drug firms want ‘full market access’ to the NHS, and we know that Donald Trump would jump at the chance to charge our NHS more for drugs.

All of that could be devastating for our NHS budget. Even a 20% increase in drug prices would take hundreds of millions of pounds out of the frontline NHS budget.

Putting the NHS up for negotiation in any such talks would threaten the founding principles of the health service. In short, a re-elected Boris Johnson government poses perhaps the biggest threat to the NHS in its 70-plus year history.

I believe people in Scotland deserve a lot better than this as their future – and in tomorrow’s election we have a chance to aim higher than Boris Johnson and the sorry mess of Brexit.

SNP MPs will demand an end to austerity, an extra £4 billion for Scotland’s NHS, as well as guaranteed protection for the NHS from a Trump trade deal. We will push for fairer pensions, enhanced maternity and parental leave, stronger action on climate change and an end to the misery of Universal two, the child cap on tax credits and the shameful rape clause.

And for Scotland, we can ensure that decisions about our future are made by the people who live here – not by Westminster.

That is the fundamental point of independence.

Scotland has so much potential. From our successful industries of renewables, tourism, financial services and life sciences, to our highly educated workforce – many countries can only dream of having the resources that we so often take for granted.

Independence would unlock all of this potential, and build a better and brighter future for the people living here.

But whatever your views on Scotland’s constitutional future, surely we can all agree that our future should be decided by people living here, and not imposed on us by the likes of Boris Johnson.

This election will not decide the question of independence – but it does give us a chance to protect Scotland’s right to choose our own future.

So I am asking people to look ahead – not just to the next few weeks, but towards the future we all want to see for Scotland.

Do we want 5 years of Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and the Brexit extremists, imposing draconian policies on Scotland and dragging us out of the EU against our will?

Or do we want Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands?

I think the choice is clear. And that brighter, better future is possible if Scotland votes SNP tomorrow.

Nasty Party?: Council Tories vote to force EU nationals to pay to stay

City Council votes to pay EU nationals’ application appointment fee – despite Tory opposition

Thursday’s city council meeting passed a motion to make application appointments for EU nationals in the Capital free. The city’s application services will now sign up to help EU nationals apply quickly for those finding the online application process challenging.

The Council will now allocate £25,000 to help the Council’s application service keep appointments free.

Council leader Adam McVay said: “By making it easier and free for EU nationals to apply through the Council’s application services we are doing all we can to help people through this appalling process and remind them that Edinburgh is their home and we stand with them as our residents.

He added: “The UK Government’s EU National application programme is a shameful way to treat our citizens, many of whom have been part of our city and community for decades.

“It’s somewhat ironic that the Tories, who can complained about a charge for people’s bin registrations, voted against removing the charge for EU nationals applying to register their lives in the Capital. When Tories believe registering a bin is a more important than applying to register your family to protect your rights, something has went badly wrong with their moral compass.”

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said: “The SNP has been clear across the board that we will support EU nationals in every way we can. Yet again, the Tories in Edinburgh have shown themselves as no better than the xenophobic party in Westminster that sent disgusting “go home” vans into our communities.

“I hope that despite the Tory’s treatment of EU nationals, they feel kindness and respect from the rest of us who are proud that they have done us the honour of making Scotland their home.”

City of Edinburgh Council – Full Council Meeting – 14 March 2019

Motion By Councillor McVey – EU Registration

“That Council:

  • Notes the UK Government’s appalling decision to force EU nationals to “register” to sustain their rights.
  • Notes that Edinburgh’s registration services took part in the Home Office settlement pilot which ended in late autumn 2018 which included an application assistance scheme to help “read” chipped EU passports to smooth the process.
  • Notes that the Home Office settlement has now gone live and residents can register for free from March 30th 2019 and fees paid before this time can now be reclaimed.
  • Agrees that Edinburgh City Council will use existing resources to publicise the free UK Government based service and existing support services available through citizen’s advice to citizens across the City.
  • Agrees that to help further support EU nationals remaining in Edinburgh, Council authorises use of up to £25,000 from the Council’s priorities fund to support Edinburgh’s registration services and avoid any administration fees being applied to any EU nationals registering with the Home Office settlement scheme through Edinburgh’s registration services.
  • Agrees that this expenditure will be monitored on a monthly basis and reported through the business bulletin of the Finance and Resources committee and delegates authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leader, to limit free registrations to citizens who live in Edinburgh, subject to service demand.
  • Agrees that the Leader will write to the Home Office to request this funding is reimbursed in return for providing this service.”

May tells Sturgeon: “Listen to the voices”

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to change course to avoid an “utterly disastrous” no-deal Brexit if the Prime Minister’s plans are rejected by MPs in a crunch vote on 11 December – but Theresa May says the First Minister should listen to Scotland’s business leaders. Continue reading May tells Sturgeon: “Listen to the voices”