The SNP claim of a new era of new council houses is "spinsville supreme", even for the one trick nats. Housebuilding mean forward planning (even councils need planning permission!) so the new homes being delivered by Mid and East Lothian Labour Councils are the result not of SNP policy but relaxations in borrowing controls introduced by Labour in Holyrood.This is classic SNP sound “collectivist' but do little to be “collectivist”
Any extra cash for Councils is to be welcomed given the cuts we have had to face so far under SNP, but £25m over 3 years for the whole country is ”
Edinburgh will probably get around £2.5m over the three years. That will build around 25 homes, or, give us the ability to borrow about £25m and so build 250 homes but increase our debt in doing so. We need to build a minimum of 12,000 affordable homes in the next 10 years to meet demand
And what part of the Scottish budget is this £25m coming? There was no ‘line’ in the three year budget announced in November for this expenditure. And we have been repeatedly told that there s no more cash for Councils for other things. So who is losing out here. What new SNP cuts await us?
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4 comments:
Ewan,
I appreciate you'll have a vastly greater understanding than I on council funding but there is a question I just can't shake:
In your post you seem to complain about two things -
(1) The SNP aren't giving enough money to housing. £25m isn't enough you say.
and (2) The SNP are making too many cuts. Where is this £25m coming from you ask.
Surely you can only choose one of the above to complain about.
How can you ask for more money to be spent while simultaneously complain that too much money is being spent?
Jeff
Good point. The issue here is one of promises being kept rather than the two seperate issues you define.
The SNP promised more money for Councils but given what we have seen across the country what they said they would do and what has happened is clearly not the same thing. They also promised more money for Housing and what they have given, whilst welcome, won't go anywhere near the 35,000 they said they would see built even though they promised to back new social housing.
They also promised more transparency over their decsions, but no where in their budget was there a lie with this £25m so I want to know which other line will be reduced as a result.
Don't know if that helps but the issue here is promises and trust
Ewan
Thanks Ewan.
I can see how the two angles can sit beside each other now.
My own view is that given the state of the economy and reduced income from business, money is tight and the understandable result is less can be spent now than we would have liked.
I'm sure the SNP would love to give extra money to social housing but if it's simply not possible to do so and deliver a responsible budget then so be it.
Hopefully once the credit crunch is over and the lean times make way for a profitable era there will be a bigger pot available not just for those who require social housing but also those hit by the 10p tax band raid.
In the meantime, we all have to suffer a bit to get through it.
Cheers!
Jeff
thanks for your comments. I think that we can't wait for the credit crinch to be over but my guess is that despite my hopes we may end up having to anyway.
Ewan
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