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MORAY’S REVISED REVENUE share from the Scottish Government will not be as drastic as was feared a few days ago – but remains a major issue for the local authority.
Revised figures for the local government finance settlement were released yesterday – and these show a recalculated fall for Moray of just £19,000.
Moray and Aberdeen are, however, the only local authorities in the north to receive less than initially indicated, with all others in the area receiving an increase – most notably Argyle and Bute with a £3million uplift.
Regional Conservative MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston described the figures as a demonstration of the “mess Derek Mackay and the SNP are making of Scotland’s national and local finances”.
He added: “Despite Derek Mackay himself accepting at the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee that he has more money available to use than last year, he’s chosen to make cuts to council budgets across Scotland.
“And now these revised figures show that, on top of the cuts already made, Moray’s settlement is to be cut even further, albeit by a relatively small amount.
“However, after years of poor settlements, this only adds to the pressures facing public services in Moray; pressure caused by SNP cuts and their mismanagement of Scotland’s finances and economy.
“If Derek Mackay and the SNP can’t get the numbers right on something as important as the Draft Budget, it really begs the question where else are they making mistakes? This is the just the latest SNP finance fiasco. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be the last.”