Issue - meetings

Motions

Meeting: 30/06/2022 - City of Edinburgh Council (Item 8)

By Councillor Lang - Scottish Government Resource Spending Review

By Councillor Lang - Scottish Government Resource Spending Review

 

“Council;

 

1.     notes with concern the Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review, which set out a cash terms freeze in local government spending up until 2026/27.

2.     notes the Fraser of Allander Institute conclusion that, on the basis of the review report, the Scottish local government budget will decline by 7% in real terms over the next four years.

3.     considers such a funding settlement to be wholly unacceptable, risking further deep and damaging cuts to Council services, and agrees to continue to work through COSLA to press the Scottish Government for significantly improved funding of local government.

4.     further recognises the particular resource challenges facing Edinburgh as the Capital City of Scotland with a growing population, returning visitor numbers, increased demand for council services, and competition with the private sector for key staff roles, all of which requires proper and additional funding for the Council.

5.     recognises the importance of the Council making the strongest possible representations directly to the Scottish Government, over and above the positive work being undertaken by COSLA.

6.     therefore, agrees that the Lord Provost should write to invite the Cabinet Secretary of Finance & Economy to address and take questions at a meeting of the Council before the end of the year, with such an agenda item supported by an officer report on the likely implications of the spending review on Edinburgh Council’s budget.”

Additional documents: