‘Irresponsible’ Labour MSPs vote to wipe out Edinburgh council budget
Edinburgh Central MSP Marco Biagi has criticised Scottish Labour MSPs for ‘irresponsibly’ voting to withhold £720.5m from the city of Edinburgh in Holyrood this evening.
The Labour group voted against the Local Government Finance Order 2013, which authorises the grants to councils that make up the bulk of their income and which usually passes without opposition. It was on the basis of this finance that The City of Edinburgh Council passed their own 2013 budget this afternoon.
City Centre MSP, Marco Biagi commented:- “I am stunned that Labour would even consider voting against giving the annual grant to councils to provide schools, social work services, homeless shelters, local roads, parks, bins, libraries and other essential services up and down the land. This just shows yet again that they are not fit for opposition let alone government
“I do wonder if the Labour MSPs in Holyrood had run this by Labour council leaders – like Councillor Burns in Edinburgh – before undertaking such a bizarre act. Had they won this vote the city of Edinburgh’s budget would now be in tatters.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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