Holyrood cash boost for Moray – SNP and Greens make pre-budget deal
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Moray will get an extra £1.6million from the Scottish Government this year, it has been announced today.
The SNP and the Greens have today agreed a pre-budget deal which will see an extra £95m being divided up between Scotland's 32 local authorities this year.
Moray Council's leader Graham Leadbitter (Elgin North, SNP) welcomed the grant of extra money.
He stated that, as of yet, he could say little publicly about how the extra cash would be spent, but that discussions would go on between now and Tuesday afternoon when Moray Council sets its own budget.
He added: "This money will be used to protect services in Moray that we provide.
"I hope that the Westminster Government will follow suit and move away from the austerity budgets that is has been making."
The deal with the Greens will also see an extra £18million going to police services and £45million for low carbon projects and initiatives such as free bus travel for under-18s.
The leader of the Conservative group on Moray Council, Tim Eagle, also commented on the announcement.
Cllr Eagle (Buckie) said: "It is great that we finally should have more money, yet it remains painful that for several years now the SNP have used local authorities has a pawn to get a deal with the Greens.
"Even with this extra amount it does not make up for the years of cuts the SNP have delivered to councils. That being said we always welcome additional funding.
Cllr Eagle, who represents the Buckie ward, continued: "The question now is what the local SNP leaders Graham Leadbitter and Shona Morrison going to do with it?
"If they had any respect for communities in Moray they would now ask for council to reinstate toilets and grass cutting as a minimum but also ensure that we now start investing in our education and social care departments.
"These services are vital for our communities, they should never have been cut. Now is the time to bring them back."
The Westminster Government was delayed by the snap general election, and is now set to be delivered on March 11.
Who's getting what from the £95million:
Aberdeen City 3.339
Aberdeenshire 4.567
Angus 2.066
Argyll & Bute 1.701
Clackmannanshire 0.884
Dumfries & Galloway 2.812
Dundee City 2.64
East Ayrshire 2.165
East Dunbartonshire 1.979
East Lothian 1.833
East Renfrewshire 1.875
Edinburgh, City of 7.43
Eilean Siar 0.729
Falkirk 2.749
Fife 6.474
Glasgow City 10.632
Highland 4.509
Inverclyde 1.423
Midlothian 1.597
Moray 1.62
North Ayrshire 2.516
North Lanarkshire 6.045
Orkney 0.665
Perth & Kinross 2.618
Renfrewshire 3.101
Scottish Borders 2.089
Shetland 0.738
South Ayrshire 2.001
South Lanarkshire 5.659
Stirling 1.667
West Dunbartonshire 1.673
West Lothian 3.204
