On Thursday 16th February, Councillors met in Glasgow City Chambers to debate and agree the Glasgow City Council budget for the year ahead. It was a challenging task to balance the city’s finances while rejecting as many of the proposed cuts to services as possible. But that is the responsibility of leadership and the SNP Council Group stepped up to the challenge.
They delivered a budget which sees essential services protected and, importantly, maintains the SNP manifesto promise of ensuring no compulsory redundancies – a promise other parties have failed to uphold.
Teacher numbers are also protected, ensuring young people will continue to receive a high standard of education and prioritising Glasgow’s future.
Although delivering this budget was difficult, SNP councillors rose to the challenge. Whereas Labour councillors were nowhere to be seen. They didn’t propose a budget of their own. They didn’t debate the options on the table. They deserted their posts, abandoned their responsibility, and left the Chamber! What a democratic disgrace and a cowardly way to treat Glasgow.
How long will Labour councillors prioritise their political games over fulfilling the promise they made to represent you, as they are elected and paid to do?
It seems that it is now a common occurrence for Labour to abandon their responsibilities in this way.
In Dumfries & Galloway, Labour Councillors voted through the Tory budget – just so they could say they had not supported the SNP.
In City of Edinburgh Council, Labour Councillors – who number only 12 out of 63 – put forward their own budget but failed to get support for it. They ended up supporting a LibDem budget that opens the door to compulsory redundancies. The Labour Council leader then admitted they hadn’t even read the LibDem budget and were not aware of its contents. Incompetent, reckless and absurd.
This undemocratic and irresponsible behaviour, repeated in Councils around the country, underlines the fact that Scottish Labour will always prioritise their own narrow political agenda over fulfilling their duty to voters. They are ushering in right wing agendas, potential privatisation of services and unnecessary cuts with no regard for voters or the democratic process. It’s a scandal.
I know I speak for all elected SNP members when I say that our doors are open to listen to your concerns. We will continue to represent you, and to attempt always to provide solutions, rather than walking away during difficult times.
#councilbudget #democracy #glasgowcitycouncil #glasgowkelvin #glasgowcitycentre #democracymatters
