Leader of Highland Council and Budget Leader Respond To Scottish Budget 20/21

6th February 2020

The Leader of The Highland Council Margaret Davidson and the Budget Leader Alistair Mackinnon gave the Scottish Government's budget a very cautious reaction.

Cllr Margaret Davidson said:"It will take a few days to assess exactly what this means for The Highland Council, and how much of this funding is ring-fenced.

"Local authorities continue to face extremely challenging pressures.

"It is extremely concerning that capital funding available to Local Authorities appears to have reduced by about a third.

"This is in the context of our need for considerable investment in our vast infrastructure in the Highlands.

"There is also significant uncertainty around what will result from the UK Government's budget announcement next month."

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Comment

From earlier council statements it appears the present settlement will go nowhere near closing the budget gap faced by councils and in turn this will mean that most councils will still be making cuts or significant changes to services and increasing charges for services such as parking.