SNP incompetence leads to further £86 million cut in local government budgets
Local authority finance officials have been informed that their budgets are to be cut by another £86 million due to a Scottish Government error.
It was reported this morning that provisional local government settlements included ring-fenced funds for criminal justice that were erroneously allocated to two separate areas.
This double counting accidentally increased council budgets by £86 million.
Councils had planned expenditure based on these figures, which will now need to be dramatically cut by 10 March, when council tax must be set for the next year.
Cosla has already warned that local authorities are facing a £153 million cut in their budget.
Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Alexander Stewart said:
“This double-accounting will leave an enormous shortfall and could ensure that the already cash-strapped councils will be impossibly squeezed by this further-tightened noose.
“The level of incompetence here by the SNP government beggars belief and has now become a hallmark of Derek Mackay’s tenure as finance secretary.
“Local authorities are already facing serious cuts to their budgets and this will clearly make it even more difficult for local authorities to provide essential services.
“Once again, this is a problem entirely created by SNP incompetence.”