EXCLUSIVE: Ricky Bell raised the alarm about the impact of the SNP Government’s actions on local authorities.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison announces the draft Budget for 2026-27 to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood(Image: )
A top SNP councillor has warned job losses and axed services are on the way to cope with Scottish Government cuts. Ricky Bell of council umbrella group COSLA referred to the “very poor” Budget delivered by SNP Financial Secretary Shona Robison.
He also said council leaders feared it was becoming “increasingly unsustainable” to invest in vital projects for local communities. COSLA, who wanted an extra £750m for social care in the Budget, were left disappointed with the SNP’s tax and spending plan over its impact on the front line.
Big council tax rises are now expected from April to ease the pressure on areas like education and leisure facilities. Councillors are also worried about what they say are planned cuts over the medium term from the SNP Government.
In a letter to Robison, Bell, who is COSLA’s resources spokesman, said: “Our Leaders agreed that this year’s settlement is a very poor settlement for local government which fails to address the dire financial situation of local government.
“COSLA made a clear and urgent ask for significant additional investment of £750m to protect and strengthen social care. The Budget fails to deliver this.”
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He wrote that council leaders welcomed increased funding for housing, but warned: “They were clear that the capital funding position for Local Government is becoming increasingly unsustainable, threatening councils’ ability to invest in vital infrastructure and community assets.”
He also wrote that the Government was planning a “real-terms cut” to funding over the coming years:
“Local authorities are therefore in the position where plans will need to be developed to manage a flat cash position, which entails significant real terms reductions and therefore reductions in services and jobs.”
Bell is City Treasurer of SNP-led Glasgow council but was writing in his COSLA capacity.
Labour MSP Mark Griffin said: “This brutal letter lays bare the consequences of the SNP’s raids on council budgets.
“Lifeline local services have been cut to the bone and even SNP Councillors cannot defend the indefensible anymore.
“Scots cannot keep paying more and getting less in return.
“Scottish Labour will end SNP waste, deliver fair funding for local government and fix the basics.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde council, said: “I totally agree with Councillor Bell that the Scottish Government has delivered a very poor settlement for local government. Contrary to the First Minister’s claim of a 2% increase in funding, COSLA has calculated that there is in fact a 0.6% cut with larger cuts to come in the next two years.
“The cut for some Councils is even higher. In Inverclyde’s case it is 1.8%. We now face very tough decisions in the coming weeks on which services to cut and how much we increase Council Tax by. I would call on the Scottish Government to think again and provide an improved settlement for Councils so we can avoid damaging cuts to services our communities rely on.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Budget delivers record funding of almost £15.7 billion for local authorities, a real terms increase of 2%. A response to Councillor Bell’s letter will be issued in due course.”
