East Lothian Conservative Councillors Call on SNP to Hand Over £155 million in Scottish Council Funding

East Lothian Council

Thanks to the UK Government, councils across Scotland are due to receive around £155 million as a result of extra council spending in England.

But instead of promising to send the cash on, the SNP advised councils to raid their own savings, despite Audit Scotland repeatedly warning that many local authorities were running on empty.

East Lothian Council is under severe financial pressure after years of SNP cuts. The SNP must ensure that East Lothian Council is given all the money it is due, thought to be close to £3 million, as a of matter of urgency.

Councillor Jane Henderson, the Conservatives’ Group Leader in East Lothian, said: “Councils across the country have been struggling to meet the demands of this virus and will continue to struggle as demand on health and social care services grow and greater supplies of personal protective equipment are required. Telling East Lothian Council to raid already depleted reserves is nothing but a slap in the face when there are millions of pounds on the way from the UK Government.”

Councillor Craig Hoy hit back: “East Lothian Council should not have to go begging to the SNP for funds."

In Parliament yesterday, Kate Forbes referred to the row concerning £155 million in Barnett consequentials as being merely a 'storm in a teacup'.

Councillor Craig Hoy, the Scottish Conservatives’ parliamentary candidate for East Lothian, hit back: “Local authorities across Scotland are spearheading the response to this virus, East Lothian Council should not have to go begging to the SNP for funds. Now the SNP must ensure that communities in East Lothian Council are not left behind.”

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  • Cllr Jane Henderson

    Jane Henderson

    Councillor for North Berwick Coastal & Conservative Group Leader on East Lothian Council & member of the Association Executive Committee

    Jane is one of the three Councillors elected in 2017 to represent the North Berwick Coastal ward and has lived in her constituency for the last 12 years. Prior to being elected Jane spent 35 years in pensions and investments including spells in Edinburgh, London and overseas.

  • Craig Hoy

    Craig Hoy

    Councillor for Haddington and Lammermuir & Candidate for Scottish Parliamentary Election 2021.

    A Haddington resident, Craig started his working life in journalism, first working for the BBC before setting up several publications including Holyrood Magazine. He went on to work in public affairs at home and abroad, starting his own company. More recently he has joined the Development Board of a major Scottish charity which focuses on issues such as fuel poverty among the elderly.