Tory MSP Chapman's Boomerang Attack on Roads Spending

Presided over £millions Underspent When he was a Councillor
Tory list MSP Peter Chapman faced ridicule today when he tried to launch an attack on the SNP Scottish Government for not giving councils enough funding.

Mr Chapman was a councillor on Aberdeenshire Council from 2007 to 2012 where the Conservatives were part of the ruling Administration and underspent the council budget by a massive £25,000,000 in the financial year 2011/12.

Commenting, Leader of the Opposition SNP Group on Aberdeenshire Council Cllr Richard Thomson said:

“Peter Chapman’s concern for the condition of the North-east’s road network is touching, but he has clearly forgotten he was one of the Tory councillors who were part of the council Administration when they racked-up a huge underspend of £25,000,000, instead of spending council tax-payers’ money on essential services – such as roads.

“His Tory colleagues currently running the council have fared little better as they were actually given extra funding from the Scottish Government just before the last budget but couldn’t say what services they would spend it on and instead proceeded with a budget which cut services.

“Aberdeenshire Council has had extra money from the SNP Scottish Government in each of the last two years. Peter Chapman’s virtue-signalling press release doesn’t tell from which vital services in the Scottish budget he would cut £100million in order to spend it on potholes. The truth is, Tory-led Aberdeenshire hasn’t spent any extra money on potholes despite being handed extra cash.

“As usual, the Tories are better judged in deed than in word.”