Sustainability watchdog may become cuts victim

THERE are fears for the future of the Scottish Government's sustainability watchdog, after its equivalent in England was axed yesterday.

The UK government scrapped the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) to meet targets for public sector spending cuts. The SDC in Scotland, which appraises the progress of the Scottish Government in achieving sustainability targets, is funded entirely from Holyrood, with 260,000 a year.

However, there are fears that the Scottish Government could decide to follow suit and axe its watchdog, following the UK government's announcement.

A source at SDC Scotland told The Scotsman he was worried about the future.

The source said: "We have achieved a lot in Scotland over the last five years, and it would be a real shame if decisions taken by another government were to stop the good work we are doing in Scotland.

"We hope that the Scottish Government can see the value of what we have helped them to achieve."

Labour leader Sarah Boyack said: "If the SDC is forced to shut up shop in Scotland due to a lack of funding, it will present a major hurdle for our 2020 target to cut carbon emissions by 42 per cent."