Blunder means Edinburgh receives £8m less from Scottish Government

EDINBURGH will receive £8 million less in Scottish Government funding after civil servants had to issue revised figures just days after Finance Secretary Derek Mackay announced his budget for next year.

Edinburgh is set to receive £8m less than expected. Picture: Scott Taylor

The Capital was originally allocated £699.4 million in Thursday’s share-out of local government cash. But over the weekend councils across the country were contacted to say the figures were wrong and Edinburgh’s total has been cut to £691.5 million.

The budget came under fire at the time from opposition parties for cutting council funding.

Today Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley said: “The SNP’s budget has now become a total shambles. It’s bad enough that SNP ministers are cutting £327 million from local services, but to have to correct their own figures to individual councils within a few days is farcical.

“If the UK government had acted as incompetently when allocating funding to Holyrood the Nationalists would have cried betrayal.

“This incompetence from the SNP isn’t just a minor embarrassment. It has an impact on the ability of councils to fund our schools, invest in social care and provide support for those most in need.”