Thread by @DeanMThomson

Thread on SNP’s record in Glasgow local government

If you saw the SNP Glasgow City Council (GCC) leader Susan Aitken STV interview you might be forgiven for thinking it was a car crash. It was. But the SNP’s legacy in Glasgow is even worse than you can imagine.
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➡️ Budget choices

According to Audit Scotland’s 2021 report GCC has ‘a track record of delivering significant savings’

In plain English ‘budget savings’ means a reduction in money spent. Obviously. GCC leader Susan Aitken might argue this merely represents efficiencies
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Indeed if ‘budget savings’ merely represent delivering the same local services, capital investment etc but cheaper…isn’t that a good thing?

Except what if services are deteriorating?
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Here is a list of Glasgow venue closures the SNP announced recently. It is large list of lost services which includes the Gallery of Modern Art’s library and Scotland Street School Museum.
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But if the city is losing vital venues, and the council is still insisting on delivering ‘budget savings’, the question becomes why? What has gone so badly wrong? And what has the SNP council tried to do about it?
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➡️ SNP local authority austerity

The ‘why’ and ‘what’ is easy to answer. Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have imposed mammoth cuts on local authority budgets for years. And SNP local government leaders are too spineless to call their own leaders in Holyrood out for it.
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The Glasgow city council budget has been cut by 11% since 2013/14 - but at the same time the SNP Government’s funding has increased by more than 3%.

So cut by 11% 2013/14-now but only a 3% ScotGov increase during the same time period. Do the maths.
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Financial mismanagement has become so bad that Glasgow faces an identified a £12.2 million funding gap for next year.

Oh and over in the capital, council officials have confessed to a need for £113 million of savings up to 2025/26. So this isn’t just a Glasgow mess.
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All of this is the obvious end result of SNP policy decision to slash ScotGov’s non-ring fenced revenue funding. It has been cut by £937.3 million in real teams between 2013-14 and 2021-22.

£937.3 million in cuts to local authority budgets. Made in Holyrood.
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Oh and let us not forget the legacy of the nine year council tax freeze the SNP imposed. Which meant council tax couldn’t go up in line with inflation. Thus represents real terms cuts. For nine years up until 2017.
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So why the need for GCC ‘budget savings’ amid venue closures? Why is my home city an absolute filthy midden? Because of SNP local government austerity.

And Susan Aitken, SNP GCC leader doesn’t think we should blame her party. No, actually she thinks you should thank her.
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➡️ SNP channels Maggie & call-me-Dave

When confronted in a Herald interview Ms Aitken made comments which positively reeked of David Cameron’s ‘big society’ spiel. In fact it is fair to say the SNP Glasgow leader is more Thatcherite than any of the city’s Tory councillors
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Far from opposing SNP Holyrood austerity, she explains away the loss of services, budget income as something healthy.

It’s all ending ‘statism’ you see. The lost Gallery of Modern Art Library? All to the good if it ends “the old-style socialism of Scottish Labour”
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So you can thank Susan Aitken and the SNP for shutting down the libraries, for the filthy streets and the major budget cuts. Thank her and the nationalists for saving you from ‘paternalism’ and ‘socialism’.

Local government elections are next year.
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Sources:

▪️ SNP told to 're-set' councils' relationship after £937m cuts revealed
heraldscotland.com/news/19158278.…

▪️Glasgow City Council 2019/2020 annual audit report
audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/r…
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▪️NEIL MACKAY'S BIG READ: A brave new Glasgow? Council leader outlines £30bn vision to transform the city (see section ‘An end to council paternalism’)
heraldscotland.com/politics/19498…
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Thought I'd just add this link as well, in case anyone is interested. Particularly interesting is the bit about 81.3% of GCC budget being ScotGov grant funding (which has been cut by 15% since 2010)

Glasgow City Council Key Facts and Figures 2020-21
glasgow.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.a…