We need a budget which works for people and planet


This will be the first budget since the Scottish Greens left government and will tell us about the priorities of the new First Minister and his colleagues. A lot of the media coverage is focused on the party politics and drama, but the substance of the decisions that MSPs will make in the days ahead are far more important than any of that.
There’s no doubt that it will be difficult. Scotland is in a financial crisis, largely because of years of budget cuts made by Westminster. It will be made even harder by a Labour Government that is doubling down on Tory policies, and in some respects going even further, such as cutting Winter Fuel Payments to pensioners.
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Hide AdMy Scottish Greens colleagues and I have always worked collaboratively and constructively to help deliver budgets that worked for people and planet. We have always focused on delivering for our climate and for those who needed it most. Balancing a budget is hard and even harder when you have to work with other parties. Time after time we successfully engaged with Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinets to achieve workable budgets that made Scotland the envy of other nations, focused on improving the lives of our people and putting us on the path to preserving our planet.
John Swinney knows exactly how we negotiate and what we will prioritise as we worked closely with him to do it. He knows exactly what he will need to do if he is to win our support. No reduction in investment in climate and nature, no freeze or cap on council tax, extending free school meals to all primary school pupils and funding a national trial of a £2 cap on bus fares. This is the kind of change we are calling for.
If the First Minister and his team think these demands are unreasonable, then we should all be concerned by the direction of his government. Our local authorities like Edinburgh City Council need a deal that works for them. Our councils are on the frontline of delivering the public services we all rely on, from schools to libraries to social care to local parks to bin collections. A real-terms increase to council funding is the very minimum that we will need for them in this budget.
If the First Minister is prepared to be brave and bold, then there is a budget deal to be had that can make a real difference to communities and those who have suffered the most from 14 years of Tory cuts and austerity. The Scottish Greens stand ready and willing to make the bold decisions for people and for the planet, we hope John Swinney will choose to join us.
Lorna Slater, Scottish Green Party co-leader