Ricky Henderson: It's about defining values

THERE is no doubt that the council's budget process this year has been exceptionally tough, especially given Edinburgh's vastly reduced funding from the Scottish Government.

Achieving a three-year, 90 million saving was never going to be easy. Add to that 7m of service pressures, plus the bombshell of the withdrawl of government funding for employability initiatives and the scale of the challenge can be seen.

Labour recognises we could not escape difficult decisions, but as the main opposition group on the council, we were determined to show that savings could be made while defending services for our most vulnerable citizens.

That is why we rejected officers' recommended cuts to hospital social work teams, welfare rights, residential respite, mental health residential care, and day services for the disabled.

It's why we would have found resources to invest in initiatives which do such excellent work getting people into work and whose grant has just been slashed by the SNP government.

And it's why, unlike the Lib Dem/SNP administration, we refused to slash education spending and strip out principal teachers from our high schools, or deputy heads from our primary and special schools.

Budgets are about choices and defining values, and they show to the public who you are and what you stand for as a party. I believe that the alternative budget put forward by Labour (and in an unprecedented move supported by the Tories and the Greens) showed a responsible way to manage our declining budget while at the same time protecting services.

I am disappointed that the Lib Dems and SNP refused to look at our ideas. I fear for our schools, and our voluntary organisations and I am certain that people will have these issues in mind as they make their choice at the next elections.

• Councillor Ricky Henderson is councillor for Pentland Hills ward and the city's Labour spokesperson on finance.