SNP Welcome Aberdeenshire Council Grant Settlement
>> 27 November 2012
The SNP Group on Aberdeenshire Council have welcomed the publication this afternoon of the Scottish Government’s Local Government Finance Settlement – in which Councils were given a cash-terms increase.
Commenting the SNP Group said:
"This is a good deal for Aberdeenshire where once again the Scottish Government has protected the share of the Scottish Budget allocated to Local Councils.
“The settlement includes money to continue with the council tax freeze, maintain teacher numbers in line with pupil numbers and secure places for probationary teachers.
“Over the current spending review period (2012-2015), Local Government’s total share of the funds controlled by the Scottish Government is larger than when the SNP took office.
"Confirmation of the Grant settlement is an important part of the Budget-setting process for the coming year. The SNP Group will be bringing forward detailed Budget proposals in February 2013 relating to the Budget for 2013/14.
"The SNP Group is also keen to see the Living Wage of £7.50 per hour introduced in Aberdeenshire. Thanks to the austerity inflicted on Scotland by the UK Government, Public Sector Staff have had their salaries frozen for the past two years. Staff are a very important part of Aberdeenshire Council, delivering essential Public Services to the residents of Aberdeenshire and they deserve our support.
"Aberdeenshire Council is once again heading for a Budget underspend this year similar to the underspend in 2011-12 of £25million. The Tory-led administration in Aberdeenshire really needs to get a tighter grip on their budget and ensure that council-taxpayers’ money is used to fund the essential services people need, such as sheltered housing wardens and classroom assistants, instead of these services being cut.”
