Scottish councils face funding cuts under SNP budget plans
A report published by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) indicates a 3.4 per cent reduction in real terms core revenue grant funding for local authorities.
Announcing the Budget at Holyrood last week, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said there would be “a real terms increase in revenue and capital funding, and an overall real terms increase in the total local government settlement”.
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Hide AdThe total allocation to local government in the 2019-20 Budget is £10,779.9 million, comprising the general revenue grant, business rates and smaller amounts for the general capital grant and ring-fenced grants. It represents a 2.5 per cent increase in cash terms, or a 0.7 per cent increase in real terms.
If revenue funding from other portfolios outwith local government and communities, but still from the Scottish Government to local authorities, is included, this rises to £11,071.2m - a cash increase of 3.8 per cent (£405.1m), or 2 per cent (£210.5m) in real terms.
The £210m real terms figure was used by the Cabinet Secretary as the headline local government figure in his Budget speech.