Glasgow City Council leader blasts Nicola Sturgeon’s government over spending as she pleads for more cash
NATS’ most powerful council leader blasted ally Nicola Sturgeon’s government over its spending priorities.
Glasgow City chief Susan Aitken slammed ministers threatening to withhold or claw back funding from cash-strapped local authorities.
The Scottish Government is ordering councils to maintain teacher numbers and banning spending of a £145.5million pot on other services.
Ms Aitken said: “Our call to remove the restrictions holding us back from setting local priorities and taking local decisions isn’t just about democracy and accountability, it’s about the very survival of those services at this critical time.
“Glasgow City Council’s budget needs to fund all of Glasgow’s services and so - with the greatest respect to colleagues at Holyrood - the decisions about it must and will be made here in Glasgow.”
Ministers have warned of funding being “withheld or recouped” if cash earmarked for teachers is spent elsewhere.
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We recently told how a Scots council is looking into plans to cut free school meals during the holidays despite the increasing demand.
It's understood Glasgow City Council could save £500,000 by cutting the meals and scaling back the Children's Holiday Food Programme (CHFP).
The CHFP was jointly funded by £500,000 from the council plus around £1.6million from the Scottish Government.
And now the council have proposed removing their funding and relying on the Government cash.
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An options paper said the implication of the cut will see "likely" only the summer holidays covered.
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