North Ayrshire Council (NAC) is set to receive a significant funding boost as a result of this year’s Scottish Budget with local services benefiting from an additional £6,285,000.
The SNP Government’s progressive reforms delivers a tax cut for 70% of Scottish taxpayers and 55% of all taxpayers will pay less in income tax than if they lived in the rest of the UK. This has been achieved whilst delivering a 2.3% rise in North Ayrshire’s resource budget, providing extra funding for schools, roads and housing. The Budget will also see North Ayrshire schools benefit from £4,413,960 paid directly to schools as part of the Pupil Equity Fund, to help tackle the attainment gap.
The Scottish Budget also provides additional NHS spending, which will see an extra £11.3 million in funding for NHS Ayrshire & Arran to help protect our health service from UK Tory austerity.
Commenting, Kenneth Gibson MSP said:
“This extra funding for NAC means an increase in its grant from the SNP Government to a record £275,273,000 from April.
“Despite the UK Tory Government at Westminster cutting Scotland’s grant by a further £211 million, Tory Regional MSP Jamie Greene had the cheek to write to me on 21 January demanding an additional £5 million for NAC.
"In fact, we have delivered £6,285,000 extra in grant to NAC, plus £4,413,960 directly to North Ayrshire schools. It is therefore disappointing that Mr Greene joined with Labour MSPs to vote against the Budget. Had it been voted down as he wished, there would have been no grant increases for NAC and no additional funding for the NHS.
“This progressive budget also provides extra funding for broadband, our economy, research and our environment too, as well as protecting free university tuition, free personal care for the elderly, free school meals and free prescriptions.
“While the Tories tried to con folk by demanding additional funding in every area of the Scottish Budget, they also proposed cutting over £556 million from public services in order to pay for their tax cuts for the wealthiest. Meanwhile, neither they nor Labour proposed an alternative budget.
“While other parties posture, the SNP Government delivers, helping to protects vital local services across North Ayrshire, even in these challenging times.”
ENDS
