Publish spending cut plans, Swinney urged

10 Aug 10
Scotland’s Finance Secretary John Swinney is coming under pressure to publish details of the Scottish Government’s plans for spending cuts.
By David Scott


10 August 2010

Scotland’s finance secretary is coming under pressure to publish details of the Scottish Government’s plans for spending cuts.

Both opposition politicians and a leading Scottish think-tank have asked John Swinney to provide early information on where the axe is likely to fall.

A June report from the ScottishParliament's finance committee suggested there was a lack of urgency among some public sector leaders in Scotland in dealing with the cuts required.

Responding to this report on August 8, Swinney claimed that ‘clear, consistent and early preparation’ had been made to address the ‘very challenging climate’ that lies ahead but gave no further details.

Scottish Labour finance spokesman Andy Kerr accused Swinney of deliberately delaying publication of budget plans and the opportunity for a full debate at the start of the new session of Parliament in September.

He said: ‘The Scottish Government’s commitment to openness and transparency around the budget process is a sham. Parliament is being denied the opportunity of a full debate because Swinney is deliberately delaying the publication of his draft budget.’

The Glasgow-based Centrefor Public Policy for Regions also joined the debate, saying decisions need to be made urgently on the difficult choices required.

In a report whose publication coincided with Swinney’s statement, the think-tank underlined the need for ‘both leadership and speed’ in decision-making on the cuts that need to be implemented.

‘To date, few, if any, cuts have been proposed by any of the political parties. Rather, they have tended to concentrate on which areas remain out of bounds,’ the CPPR added.

It warned of ‘major repercussions’ if some of the difficult choices ahead are avoided in the short term.

According to the think-tank, three options could be considered: protecting NHS spending but losing 108,000 public sector jobs; not protecting any spending areas but introducing a four-year public sector pay freeze; and a fundamental review of the workforce and possible privatisation of the public utility Scottish Water.

‘It is critical… we have transparency over the final choice between options,’ the CPPR stressed.

Swinney said: ‘The independentbudget review demonstrated an unprecedented level of openness and transparency in discussing these issues. It is prompting extensive debate on public spending options, exactly as it was intended to do.’

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