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SCOTTISH LABOUR warned yesterday that it will not support the Scottish government’s budget if it includes plans to slash millions of pounds of funding from local government.
The party’s leader Kezia Dugdale has written to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay arguing that proposed cuts are “unnecessary” given the Scottish Parliament’s new powers of tax and spending.
In her letter she pledges to “table amendments to the SNP’s budget to stop, in full, the £327 million cuts to local services like schools and care of the elderly, and to invest in our economy.”
Scottish Labour intends to raise income and tax, backing a 50p top rate for the highest earners in Scotland.
Ms Dugdale continued: “One of your objections to using the new tax powers of the Scottish Parliament appears to be that you did not pledge to do so in your manifesto. The SNP manifesto did not pledge to impose £327m worth of cuts on local services either.”
She warned that “failure to support our proposals will leave us with no alternative but to vote against the SNP’s budget.”
Now that the SNP no longer has a majority in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Mackay needs the support of at least one of the other parties to pass his budget.
He has admitted a budget deal with either the Conservatives or Labour is unlikely, but that there is more “room for manoeuvre” with the Greens and Scottish Lib Dems.
The Scottish Greens have also called for tax rises for higher earners and extra funding for public services. The Lib Dems want up to £400 million of extra spending on education, mental health, policing and transport in return for their support.
The Scottish Tories will reject the budget unless the SNP sets “competitive” rates of tax.
A draft budget Bill has been published in advance of MSPs voting on its general principles on Thursday. A previous parliamentary debate ended in stalemate.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: “We are considering the detail of the propositions that we have received to date and will continue to take forward constructive discussions on our budget plans.”
