Highland Councillors call for increased funding from Scottish Government

The Leader, Depute Leader and Chair of Corporate Resources Committee of The Highland Council are calling for Finance Secretary Kate Forbes to increase the budgets allocated to Local Authorities in Scotland when she publishes the 2022-23 Scottish Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy later this week on Thursday 9 December 2021.

Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Margaret Davidson said:

“We are looking to the Scottish Government to give us a good positive increase in budget and a decent settlement of at least plus 3% to help us support our service delivery.

“We echo and support Cosla’s ‘Live Well Locally’ budget campaign which highlights that without adequate funding for Local Government, recovery will stall and a lot of good progress made will be wasted, as the pandemic hit our poorest communities hardest.”

Cllr Alasdair Christie, Depute Leader of the Council added:

“This has been an acute year for local authorities and in particular for Children’s Services and Adult Services. It is vital that we have sufficient support from the Scottish Government to enable us to support our most vulnerable in society as we move forward.”

Cllr Jimmy Gray, Corporate Resources Committee Chair said:

“All Scottish local authorities will be looking to the Finance Secretary on Thursday for a just settlement. With strong positive financial planning in place, this will enable us to invest in essential infrastructure, such as schools and roads while supporting and delivering vital community services.”