John Finnie MSP is 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.
For Highland Council this could mean £8.2million.
Following discussions with Green MSPs over the
draft Scottish budget, Scottish Ministers have agreed to abandon their
proposed tax giveaway for higher earners and provide a total of
£160million for local councils to spend on local priorities.
Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie said:
"Greens stand firmly with Highland communities
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.
“This deal means £8.2million additional funding for local services in Highland.
"This is the biggest budget concession in
Holyrood's history. Other parties effectively ruled themselves out of
constructive dialogue. Green MSPs 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."
2 comments:
An extra 8.2m so council tax won't need to go up then.
Scots who can afford to contribute more to their communities will be required to do so. Makes perfect sense.
Post a Comment