Warning of further 13,500 jobs facing the axe over ‘underfunded’ council tax freeze
About 13,500 public-sector staff face the axe in the coming year as a result of Scottish Government spending cuts, MSPs were told yesterday.
Labour say the SNP government is “doubling” the spending cuts for councils, which are being imposed on Scotland by the UK coalition.
The council tax freeze is “underfunded and socially regressive”, according to Labour, who claim the cuts will hit “women workers and staff, most vulnerable people in our communities”.
Labour’s Sarah Boyack said yesterday: “The squeeze on local government services was made in Scotland by the SNP. This SNP government took a cut from the UK Tory government, doubled it and passed it on to local councils. That’s on top of last year’s difficult settlement for local councils.”
She added: “Last year, 13,500 jobs were lost from local government, and Unison tell me that this year we’ll see another 13,500 more lost.”
Councils will share funds of £11.5 billion in the coming year, finance secretary John Swinney told MSPs yesterday.
The budget settlement for 2012-13 aims to continue the council tax freeze across the 32 local authorities and pay for shared agreements with the Scottish Government.
Mr Swinney confirmed the details of the council settlement in a debate at Holyrood. The total includes £10.9bn of revenue funds, which pay for day-to-day services, and about £600 million of capital funds.
He said: “The total funding from Scottish Government to local government next year will amount to £11.5bn. Under this administration, the share of the Budget that is allocated to local government is higher in 2012-13 than it was when we came to office, despite the unprecedented pressure that the Budget has been under.”
Mr Swinney was speaking a day after steering his overall Budget for Scotland through parliament with support from the Liberal Democrats.
The Local Government Finance Order, which was agreed by MSPs, was to secure approval to the payment of £9.9bn out of the revenue total. The rest will be paid in specific grants, mainly for police.
Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell raised concerns about funding proposals.
“The Scottish Government has not provided any funding for town centre regeneration, but instead is reviewing the scheme,” she said.
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There are 14 comments to this article
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Danielrober2
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 06:24 PM# 12 and 13 well informed ............................. The Devolved Government is only restricted in the sense that Alec.S wants Westminster powers and sulks all the time until he gets them. In my day we would have called him a Man Child [yep thats how dated a Dad I am]. The Scottish Devolved Government has some spectacular capabilities, it just needs a lot of hard work and dedicated effort. After five years we simply have not seen that effort, though the first two years seems very encouraging. Then you guys went for what the Americans refer to as Offshore Distractions, within and without the UK to distract from performance failures. ...................... If you guys stayed focused, a great deal could be achieved, instead considerable government effort is placed into arguments, potential arguments and post arguments. As for balancing the books, well inactivity is a very cheap action, its just the Scottish economy which pays the price.
well informed
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 05:03 PM11 Stop lying yer worthless trolling ar*e off again!!! Devolved Govt of the type we have in Scotland is severly restricted in its power and finance allowance as you very well know! Only with FFA and full control can any Scottish Govt be free to deal with the normal day to day business of Govt expenditure and revenue as they would like! At least the SNP manages to balance their budgets unlike the corrupt unionist filth before them!
well informed
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 05:00 PM"About 13,500 public-sector staff face the axe in the coming year as a result of Scottish Government spending cuts, MSPs were told yesterday. Labour say the SNP government is “doubling” the spending cuts for councils, which are being imposed on Scotland by the UK coalition."--------------------------------------------------- Bald faced lying gits as usual! These cuts are all down to the coalition of fascists in westminster with the full endorement and backing of the Zanu Liebour right wing fascist party! We are suffering under ideological policy and dogmatic corporate corrupt govt! And will continue to be so every day we remain within this union of corruption and right wing fascism!
Danielrober2
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:26 PM# 8 Sneeky ...................... More excuse about what is beyond the SNP Devolved Governments capability, as opposed to employing the huge capabilities with the Devolved Government has. Just more excuses, rather than job and business opportunity creation.
Danielrober2
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:24 PM# 3 a33 ............................. I would think those 13,500 jobs would have been noticed by the families of those people who lost their jobs. The councils offer vital services to Scotland and their value is immeasurable. Yet these service are not purchased in flat pack kits, they are provided by people.
Sneeky
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:48 PM#6 What protectionism??? All government contracts are put out to Tender as per the EU rules on procurement. Its labour that are calling for protectionism without realising that this woud lead to reciprocal treatment, the closing off of markets for Scottish goods and the increase in costs to the Scottish Taxpayers. The SNP need applauded on their online bidding system to allow smaller companies to bid for parts of jobs so as to reduce overall costs per section of a contract.
Sneeky
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:44 PM#1 Ireland, Iceland and Norway all have some things in common. They are far above the UK on the Human development index, they are far above us on GDP per head of population (so personal wealth), they have less of a poverty gap and Iceland is even on course to have a budget Surplus in 2013 (The UK as a whole has been running a deficit since 2002). Scotland provides more Taxes than we get back and would have been £7.5 billion pounds better off as an independent nation over the last 5 years based on our actual output versus spending. As far as the Steel goes WE DO NOT HAVE ANY YARDS THAT CAN MAKE THE STEEL FABRICATIONS THAT ACCOUNT FOR 75% OF THE STEEL REQUIRED. These were destroyed in the 80's and 90's by Thatcherism. The remaining 25% of STEEL PLATE can be made in Scotland but importantly NO SCOTTISH COMPANIES SUBMITTED A BID. I'm sorrt to "shout" but it would seem that there is a group of people that cannot hear explanations in plain english.
Sneeky
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:37 PMIf I'm not mistaken did the Labour Party not just get a budget through the Glasgow City Council (in somewhat interesting circumstances) that included £15,000 for a portrait of the Labour Lord Provost and £500,000 for new seats in the council chambers??? Perhaps if they REALLY looked hard enough at what they are spending money on they could make some savings. Why should Local councils be immune to cuts when Scotland is getting the Block Grant cut by Billions by Westminster? We need to demand better efficiency of Local government, not just throw more money at problems!
searchanddestroy
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:26 PMAbout time too. Its very interesting that all these public sector employees in general consider themselves to be socialist but when it was mooted that eveyone pitch in with austerity measures they instantly forgot their "we are all in this together" caper and swiftly changed to "I'm alright Jack". Time to blitz all the quangocrats now. Non jobs have to go in a progressive economy and it also needs small government. With his nationalist protectionism Salmonds next model country appears to be Cuba ! Stop blaming England for everything and create an economy which can compete on a world wide basis. This will involve producing something in the private sector and having low taxes so people want to live and work here.
samcoldstream
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:34 AMFirst time round, Cosla made a complete mockery of the minority Scottish Government. Second time round, the majority Scottish Government has Cosla in a tight grip by the....... Cosla should have remembered the old adage: What goes around, comes around.
Family guy
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:33 AMThe council tax freeze is “underfunded and socially regressive”, according to Labour, who claim the cuts will hit “women workers and staff, most vulnerable people in our communities-------------------------------By coincidience, these are the very people Labour target for support and votes. Isn't it strange that the SNP are no longer funding core Labour voters? C'mon, it's a pantomime. Surely labour have not forgotten that because of the mismanagement of the UK economy, Scotlands block grant has been cut? Maybe they have forgotten. I shall remind them in the upcoming by elections.
a33
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:22 AM“Last year, 13,500 jobs were lost from local government"...... . . Since nobody noticed presumably we can have the same again this year.
Irritatingly Intelligent Chauvinist
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:10 AMGood. The more of these non-jobs we get rid of the better. More of the same thank you very much.
Harry Palmer
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:45 AMYoung People with no jobs. No Future. Roads, Parks and Pavements in dire need of repair. Our Councils in deep debt. And now Alex Salmond sells us down the river to cheap chinese steel. All the SNP cares about is independence. They talk about the Scotland's future. What about all the young people today who have no future. The SNP say independence will solve all these problems but what are the unemployed to do until 2014? Public Debt the SNP keep talking about oil revenue and how if Scotland had been independent in the 70s we would be so wealthy now like Norway. Well guess what Eck if I had invented Facebook I would not care what happened in Scotland because I could get in my jet and fly away if it all goes belly up! If I was any good at football I could play for Everton and be rich. You can't live in the past. The SNP once wanted us to be like Ireland until Ireland collapsed. Now it's Norway we are to be like. People having a hard time just now everything will be brill in 2014 until then Eck say's G.T.F because he does not have any power to help you and you won't be as cheap as the Chinese. And as for Council Tax. Keep it low and the idiots will believe that independence will mean low taxes. The voters won't care about all the job losses and loss of services, They will be happy saving a pound or so a week.
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