CRAIG Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has described a £4.5 million cut to East Lothian Council funding as “so bad it looks vindictive” in a debate held in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
This comes after all 32 Scottish Council leaders expressed their disappointment at the financial settlement announced by the Scottish Government’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, which they claim would lead to a real-terms cut of £371 million in core funding across Scotland.
The group has described the cut to local councils as “totally unacceptable” and they are calling for urgent discussions with Nicola Sturgeon and the Finance Secretary.
Mr Hoy, who is also a ward councillor for Haddington and Lammermuir, is calling for a bill to enshrine fair funding for councils to be passed by the Scottish Parliament in order to end “the devasting impact that cuts have had on services and communities in East Lothian.”
Speaking in a debate on local government finance, he said: “The SNP’s austerity agenda for local government continues with East Lothian Council set to lose £4.5 million in the coming year.
“The Scottish Government have starved our council of funds for years and the situation is now serious and deteriorating.
“The picture it paints is so bad it now looks vindictive. Despite a record settlement from Westminster, the council is losing £1 million in real terms funding next year and will be a further £3.5 million worse off as a result of changes to the Floor-based funding formula which pools funding with other councils.
“It is simply unfair and not acceptable that one of the fastest growing areas in Scotland is being repeatedly penalised by the SNP.
“I urge the Scottish Government to stop short-changing the residents of East Lothian.”
