THE Scottish Budget has been hailed as the “greenest” finance announcement since devolution, but issues with local government funding could still impact climate change targets which are already falling behind.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced on Thursday that local authorities will see a funding increase of £500 million, but this was disputed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), who said the increase only amounts to £71m after government mandated policies are paid for. They also claimed that capital funding will remain flat for next year. Although councils have been given flexibility over council tax, with the cost of living crisis still battering households across Scotland, it’s unclear how many would decide to pursue this route to raise revenue.
The Government has been warned that urgent action must be taken to ensure the country gets back on track to reach emissions targets. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) noted earlier this month that while emissions fell between 2019 and 2020, this was largely due to the impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions, and figures will likely bounce back to previous levels.
