THE Scottish Government’s upcoming Budget will put more money in Scots’ pockets, the Finance Secretary has said, as she accused Labour of treating Scotland as an “afterthought”.
Shona Robison, who is due to deliver the draft Budget to Holyrood on Wednesday, December 4, said that it would be “by Scotland, for Scotland”.
The SNP Government has been in intense negotiations with the opposition parties at Holyrood ahead of Budget day. As it is a minority administration, it will need at least one of them to support its spending plans.
The Greens have called for the Budget – which will be John Swinney’s first as First Minister – to include a trial of a £2 cap on bus fares as well as the rollout of free school meals to all P6 and P7 pupils.
“If [Swinney] takes these steps on Wednesday, the Scottish Greens will work with him to agree a final budget proposal early in the new year,” Green MSP Ross Greer said.
Regan has also said she would like to see the Scottish Government mitigate the Labour Government’s cut to the Winter Fuel Payment – which Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced it would do on Thursday.
The Greens look to be the SNP’s best chance of securing the support of an opposition party – as Regan's single vote would not be enough to reach a majority in the parliament.
The LibDems have said that they are focused on getting “constituents fast access to healthcare like GPs and dentists, tackling Long Covid and the mental health crisis, fighting for a fair deal for carers, lifting up Scottish education and growing the economy”.
However, they have also ruled out backing any Budget which includes independence spending, while the Greens have said they will not support any Budget which rolls it back.
The Scottish Tories have called for swingeing tax cuts to the tune of almost £1 billion – though group leader Russell Findlay has conceded these are “unlikely” to be taken on.
Scottish Labour have called for increased funding which has flowed from the UK Government Budget in October to be spent on cutting NHS waiting times and improving education.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s UK Budget resulted in an additional £1.5bn for Holyrood this year, and £3.4bn next year.
However, it also controversially ended the ring-fencing of a £620 million annual pot for Scottish agriculture, and increased costs on councils and the Scottish Government by putting up employers’ National Insurance contributions.
The SNP have said that they would need around £500m to cover the increase in costs, and reports say the UK Government will provide somewhere in the region of £300m for that end.
Furthermore, First Minister John Swinney has also indicated that the extra £1.5bn for this year’s Budget has already been accounted for, telling MSPs that it “largely accords with our expectations in our internal planning”.
Finance Secretary Robison has said the Budget will be “by Scotland, for Scotland, focusing on delivering progress and laying the foundations for Scotland's long-term success”.
“While the UK Government’s Budget treated Scotland like an afterthought, this is a Government that will put the people of Scotland first,” she said.
“It will be a Budget for delivery, directly addressing the issues people are concerned about and it will be a Budget for hope, building on the positive change that we've delivered for Scotland, creating more jobs, putting more money in people's pockets, and supporting pensioners with a universal Winter Fuel Payment.
“It will centre on this Government's priorities to eradicate child poverty, grow the economy, tackle the climate crisis, and support Scotland's public services such as our precious NHS.”
Marra said: “For years, SNP waste and mismanagement has caused chaos in our public finances and piled pressure on our public services.
“Tory austerity has provided the SNP with cover for their own failures, but now Labour have turned the page and delivered record levels of funding for Scotland.”
