'More money for Moray' message to Mackay
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
MORAY Conservatives have called for "more money for Moray" ahead of the Scottish finance secretary's visit to the region this week.
Derek Mackay MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, will be in Elgin for a private meeting with Moray Council tomorrow.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said Mr Mackay will be able to see for himself the impact of government cuts.
Mr Ross said: "Derek Mackay has to use this visit to confirm Moray Council will receive an improved funding allocation from the Scottish Government. Anything less than this will show that the SNP have ignored the cross-party calls for more money for Moray.
"The minister will see for himself the huge impact his government’s cuts have had in Moray – with school crossing patrollers axed and grass cutting stopped in many areas.
"The SNP were given an extra £950 million in the most recent budget by the UK Government but they have chosen to prioritise this money in the central belt of Scotland rather than here.
"It’s time local and national SNP politicians stood up for Moray and give us the funding we deserve."
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston said: "The SNP’s financial neglect of Moray has been nothing short of scandalous.
"Financial cuts have meant Moray has lost vital public services – services that the local community rightly expects to be delivered as part of the normal work of their council.
"When I questioned Nicola Sturgeon on this subject in the Scottish Parliament recently, she had no answers and simply changed the subject.
"It is therefore imperative that, during Derek Mackay’s visit to Elgin, Moray Council’s SNP administration takes this opportunity to tell the man who controls the Scottish Government’s purse strings some home truths about the real impact of SNP cuts to Moray.
"Local residents in the county need some hope that the years of unfair financial settlements from Edinburgh are coming to an end."
Councillor Tim Eagle (Buckie), Conservative group leader, said: "Months ago I joined an all-party delegation to lobby Derek Mackay in person at Holyrood. Since then we have heard precisely nothing about how he intends to help.
"Meanwhile, children have gone to school this morning to discover that the SNP-led Moray Council has had to withdraw our school crossing patrollers due to the financial crisis facing the council.
"If Derek Mackay had acted with more urgency we might have saved the service."
