By David Scott in Edinburgh
24 September 2009
The Scottish National Party government has called on opposition parties to agree its £35bn budget and join in a plea to the Treasury for increased funding.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said that he wanted other parties to endorse his party’s call for an acceleration of capital spending to support economic recovery and thousands of jobs.
He added: ‘It is within the chancellor’s gift to make that happen when he delivers the UK Pre-Budget Report this autumn. Parliament should speak with one voice to demand that he does so.’
Swinney’s call follows the publication last week of the SNP administration’s draft budget plan for 2010/11.
Blaming Westminster for imposing cuts with a real-terms reduction in the block grant, Swinney said Scottish ministers had to make difficult decisions.
He added: ‘Even before we published our plans, I was clear that this process is dependent on working together across the Parliament. Now is the time for that to happen and an early priority is a cross-party meeting with finance spokespeople of the opposition parties.’
Swinney warned there was no room for manoeuvre in the budget. He said: ‘This is a budget fixed by Westminster in terms of total spending and a budget that has been cut in real terms for the first time since devolution.’
First Minister Alex Salmond said he was hopeful UK ministers would agree to the capital funding request.
In a television interview, he called on other parties to ‘get behind the government’s campaign to accelerate capital spending to keep up the momentum of bringing the economy out of recession’.
Budget talks with opposition parties are likely to start soon but there is already disagreement over the SNP’s handling of the spending plans.
Labour rejects the SNP claim that funding from Westminster has been cut by £500m, arguing that the Scottish Government would have £600m more to spend than last year.
Finance spokesman Andy Kerr said: ‘Those resources should have been used to help families and prepare the economy for recovery.’
Last year, the SNP’s draft budget was defeated when it was first debated by the Scottish Parliament. Due to the parliamentary arithmetic, the latest budget also needs the support of other parties if it is to be approved.
24 September 2009
The Scottish National Party government has called on opposition parties to agree its £35bn budget and join in a plea to the Treasury for increased funding.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said that he wanted other parties to endorse his party’s call for an acceleration of capital spending to support economic recovery and thousands of jobs.
He added: ‘It is within the chancellor’s gift to make that happen when he delivers the UK Pre-Budget Report this autumn. Parliament should speak with one voice to demand that he does so.’
Swinney’s call follows the publication last week of the SNP administration’s draft budget plan for 2010/11.
Blaming Westminster for imposing cuts with a real-terms reduction in the block grant, Swinney said Scottish ministers had to make difficult decisions.
He added: ‘Even before we published our plans, I was clear that this process is dependent on working together across the Parliament. Now is the time for that to happen and an early priority is a cross-party meeting with finance spokespeople of the opposition parties.’
Swinney warned there was no room for manoeuvre in the budget. He said: ‘This is a budget fixed by Westminster in terms of total spending and a budget that has been cut in real terms for the first time since devolution.’
First Minister Alex Salmond said he was hopeful UK ministers would agree to the capital funding request.
In a television interview, he called on other parties to ‘get behind the government’s campaign to accelerate capital spending to keep up the momentum of bringing the economy out of recession’.
Budget talks with opposition parties are likely to start soon but there is already disagreement over the SNP’s handling of the spending plans.
Labour rejects the SNP claim that funding from Westminster has been cut by £500m, arguing that the Scottish Government would have £600m more to spend than last year.
Finance spokesman Andy Kerr said: ‘Those resources should have been used to help families and prepare the economy for recovery.’
Last year, the SNP’s draft budget was defeated when it was first debated by the Scottish Parliament. Due to the parliamentary arithmetic, the latest budget also needs the support of other parties if it is to be approved.
