Scotland’s Council Leaders today (Friday) commented positively on the further £120m of funding being allocated to Scottish Local Government for 2022/23 but cautioned that it would only plug a gap in the short term.

Commenting following the virtual meeting in Edinburgh today, COSLA Resources Spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor said:  “This year, our Council Leaders have lobbied with a strong united voice on the Budget, and this cross party unity has resulted in a further £120 million for 2022/23.

“We had a positive meeting with the First Minister on Wednesday and we are pleased that she has listened to our united Local Government voice.

“The further £120 million is good for Local Government – however it was flagged at the meeting with the First Minister that councils continue to face a £251m real terms cut which will increase again in 2023/24 by a further £120m if this one-off funding for 2022/23 is not baselined within the Local Government settlement. This must be addressed as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

“Leaders therefore called on COSLA to begin lobbying immediately for this £120m to be baselined for future years, and to continue to lobby for Scottish Government to recognise and address the real terms budget pressures faced by Local Government.”