Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council have hit out at the Scottish Government after it was revealed that Scotland’s councils face a £511 million shortfall relating to the impact of Covid-19.
The news comes after the council learned it would face £57 million of cuts over the next three years as a result of the settlement from the Scottish Government.
Cosla, the umbrella organisation for Scottish local authorities, has told MSPs that further funding is desperately needed to plug the gap – with jobs and services on the line as a result of the inadequate settlement from Holyrood.
NLC deputy leader Paul Kelly said: “The SNP budget is bad enough – £57 million of cuts over the next three years – but Covid-19 has put significant additional financial costs onto our budget as we do all we can to support local residents.
“Our staff have been working tirelessly to support people during the pandemic, from feeding our most vulnerable children, rolling out the North Lanarkshire Child payment, delivering prescriptions and meals and helping with the rolling out of the vaccination programme.
“All of this outstanding work has cost the council money and now it’s time for the SNP Government to give a fair deal to the council and local residents.
“Councils should be allowed to fully focus on the work we are doing to support our residents through the worst event we have faced in recent memory. We should not be having to find cuts as a result of our Covid-19 response.”
Responding to Labour’s claims, SNP deputy leader, Councillor Jordan Linden, said that the true source of the financial issues facing local authorities in Scotland was the UK Government.
He said: “Last year, the SNP Government committed nearly £792 million in Covid- related funding to support local authority services.
“By December 2020, North Lanarkshire Council had received £40.672m to respond to the pandemic.
“The SNP’s budget proposals for the coming year would see North Lanarkshire Council receive £691.2 million in revenue funding – that’s an increase of 2.7 per cent on last year.
“In total, Scottish councils will receive additional revenue funding of almost £600 million to support vital local government services in 2021-22 if this budget is passed.
“And that support is while the SNP continue to mitigate against the worst impacts of Westminster austerity – with 79,335 Crisis Grants awarded to people in North Lanarkshire since 2013 as well as 6,870 Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments and 8,315 payments to fight the Tory Bedroom Tax issued in 2020 alone.
“It’s time for these Westminster parties to stop carping from the sidelines and get behind this budget that delivers for working families in North Lanarkshire during tough times.”
