The Evening News headline claiming the Council Tax rise would be used to fund new schools in Edinburgh (Report, 10.02.20) is nothing more than a cynical piece of spin.  The reality is that Council Tax is going up and school budgets are going down due to Scottish Government cuts.

The Scottish Government has forced £590m of new commitments on to Councils, but have given them only £495m to undertake the work. Edinburgh has a £35m black hole to fill.

It is heart-breaking that the poorest people in Edinburgh will feel the impact of this most.  The Oxgangs area of my Ward alone will see:

1. Over ninety-thousand pounds slashed from school budgets;
2. A threat to nursery teacher posts;
3. Community policing cut,
4. Local library opening hours cut; and,
5. The unfair Council Tax will rise by almost 5%.

The cuts in schools kids in my Ward attend are roughly as follows:

1. Bonaly Primary – £17,000
2. Buckstone Primary – £18,000
3. Colinton Primary – £7,000
4. Juniper Green Primary – £13,000
5. Oxgangs Primary – £10,000
6. Pentland Primary – £14,000
7. St Mark’s Primary – £4,000
8. St Peter’s Primary – £15,000
9. Boroughmuir High School – £75,000
10. Currie High School – £45,000
11. Balerno High School – £45,000
12. Firrhill High School – £70,000
13. St. Thomas of Aquin’s High School – £45,000

A cut to libraries is a cut to education and well-being, and will only increase social isolation. When I was elected in 2017 I pledged to voters in my ward that I would protect library opening hours, and I don’t see that changing. 

How can the head-teacher at Firrhill High School in my Ward raise attainment when Scottish Government cuts will mean his budget is cut by £70,000?

The SNP Government must think again. Please write to your MSP and ask him/her to block this budget. For people in my Ward, that’s Gordon MacDonald MSP and he plans to back the cuts.

The draft Council budget overview is here.