Budget passed, Labour out of step!

I'm just rushing out to my surgery, but I'm delighted to hear the Scottish budget has passed. Labour failed again to rise above their petty politics for the greater good of Scotland. The other parties managed to find common ground. 

Take it to the doorsteps: Labour do not support the following:

A further £11.5 million to create 25,000 modern apprenticeship places - a 

record high for Scotland;
 

Abolition of prescription charges and the Council tax freeze;

Continuing Small Business Bonus Scheme;
 

Invest an additional £15 million across 2010-11 and 2011-12 in funding 

for college bursaries; 

1,000 additional police officers;
 

£10 million support for SME employment creation – focused on new 

starts, sole traders and small firms to take on new employees by 

assisting with employment and recruitment costs and assist with 

exports;

Provide 7,000 flexible training opportunities for SMEs - 2,000 more 

than originally planned in the draft Budget;

Invest £8 million to provide enough funding for an extra 1,200 college 

places;

Maintain educational grants (EMAs) for pupils and college students 

most in need which were cut south of the border;

Extending the Living Wage of £7.15 to all agencies the Government is 

responsible for and Scotland's NHS; 

Guarantee a probation place for every newly-qualified teacher and 

provide enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12;

New Early Years and Early Intervention Fund, with start-up funding of 

£5 million;

£2m Freight Facilities Grant;

£1m Post office Diversification Scheme;

£12.5 million for Urban Regeneration Companies – increase of £6 million 

on the Draft budget;

£16 million further investment in Housing;

Protect Health Spending and continue provisions for free personal care;

£2.5 billion infrastructure investment programme;

Infrastructure Commitments such as the new Forth crossing, New South 

Glasgow Hospitals project and school building programme;

£70 million Renewables Infrastructure Fund – over four years;

£48 million support for energy assistance package and Home Insulation 

Scheme. 

All this done in spite of £1.3 billion in cuts started under Labour.

SNP Government Budget passed

Great news to see the SNP Government's budget passed. Some may speak of concessions, but it's the necessity of a minority Government to skilfully manoeuvre a consensus and I think that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance has played the game expertly.


After last year's brinkmanship and shenanigans, things seemed to go very smoothly - although as Will succinctly points out, Labour are still far from being a responsible opposition. They sound less and less convincing every day. Their UK website gives no headline to indicate what they're up to in Holyrood, and it's really no surprise - there's nothing of note to report.


Their Scottish website fails to recognise that the SNP are actually bringing in the boiler scrappage scheme, so they really ought to get rid of this very misleading graphic. Labour also try to get stuck into the Tories for objecting to the further cut in prescription charges, while failing to acknowledge that they themselves voted against the cut by rejecting our budget!


Anyway, having got that off my chest, more positive stuff...

The further reduction in prescription charges is wonderful news. In April, the cost will fall to only £3, while in England, the cost of a prescription is at present an eye-watering £7.20. Lowering the cost helps those most at need, but it's also an important principle. Suffering from an illness that requires prescription medication is difficult enough - people shouldn't feel they have to go without, or decide which medicines to prioritise, through poverty or pride.

I'm very pleased to hear that the small business bonus scheme has been tweaked, increasing the threshold, to continue support to help companies through the recession. The significance of this scheme can be seen in shopping streets throughout Glasgow; on Duke Street, the Gallowgate and Bridgeton Cross, wee businesses have opened providing local people with a range of goods and services. These businesses make our communities viable, and it's great to know our government is doing what they can to help in these difficult times.

It reassuring to hear that an Independent Budget Review will be established to consider the implications of forecasts of reductions in public spending in Scotland. We need to be prepared, and realistic about the future; all parties should find a way to engage productively.




PS - I've also noticed this fairly unfortunate typo-strewn piece on the Labour website...

The independent Literacy Commission, set up by Scottish Labour, has reported. Iain Gray said: "We need a revolution in literacy teaching our schools and we will argue for that in opposition and once in office we will pursue this relentlessly. This report is huge wake-up call for Scotland."

Dearie me, bad things indeed are...

John Swinney takes the stage

I've just finished listening just to John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. Conference loves John, and he got a huge welcoming round of applause before he said a word!

John started by describing the actions taken by the Scottish Government to protect jobs and work for economic recovery.

John remarked that even relatively simple things can make a difference - 95.3% of Government bills are now paid in ten days. This responsible action helps businesses by ensuring they're not kept waiting for what they're due.

John also talked about the importance our Government places on the Third sector in Scotland, and how they sit at the heart of recovery and growth. Under the SNP, resources for the third sector are up 37%, and the SNP are supporting moves by voluntary and charitable organisations towards becoming sustainable social enterprises. In addition, third sector organisations can access a £1.7m resiliance fund. John announced that charitable water rates relief will be extended for a further 5 years.

The recent draft budget announcement gave John the opportunity to talk about how Scotland - in contrast to the highly indebted UK Government - must living within our means, setting and implementing a balanced budget and taking difficult decisions. John got a hefty round of applause when he said that "the SNP Government knows how to manage the peoples money".

John also fired a shot across the bows to the opposition parties, recalling last years political games with the budget and saying that they can't play games with Scotland's public services.

The speech was light on attacks on other parties, about which I was glad; I think it's much better to speak of our achievements and say what else we can do. That said, John was clear that the public are right to beware the cuts the Tories will make, but we should not forget the cuts Labour are making to the Scottish budget now.

Through the speech, a theme ran through of the restrictions placed on the Scottish budget through the limitations of devolution. John spoke movingly about the imagination and inspiration of our founders 75 years ago, who confounded the critics who never believed we would achieve people elected, a Scottish Parliament, or a SNP Goverment. I got a wee excited shiver up my spine as John got to the culmination of his speech; next step independence.