The SNP Government has confirmed more cuts to public services across Scotland worth up to £500m.
Shona Robison, the Finance Secretary, told MSPs in a statement at Holyrood today that slashing spending was necessary if the Scottish Government was to meet its legal obligation of balancing its annual budget.
She blamed the previous Tory government at Westminster and Keir Starmer’s new Labour administration for the spending freeze in place across much of the public sector.
Robison previously announced a round of cuts to public in spending in February but she told MSPs today that further reductions were now required.
“Given the circumstances, the uncertainty about additional funding and further in-year pressures, I must take further and more urgent action now to ensure we can balance the Scottish Budget in 2024/25,” she said.
The Finance Secretary admitted Holyrood’s need to settle pay claims from across the public sector – including teachers, doctors and nurses – was a “significant driver of in-year pressures”.
She added: “We must also recognise that we have a larger public sector in Scotland relative to the rest of the UK. Our public sector workforce will need to evolve to ensure the delivery of high quality public services within continued Westminster austerity.”
The Scottish Government had already confirmed the reintroduction of peak fares on all ScotRail services and scrapped free bus travel for asylum seekers.
It has also delayed an initiative to provide technology devices such as iPads for people who are “digitally excluded” and halted universal winter fuel payments for pensioners.
Robison continued: “While the Scottish Government has to operate within a largely fixed budget determined by Westminster this Government will do everything we can to protect people and public.
“Were Scotland an independent country, we would not be paying the price for bad decisions taken at Westminster – whether that be years of austerity cuts, Brexit, or reckless mini budgets – all of which have taken money out of the economy and funding for public services.
“However, within the current devolution settlement the fact remains that our main lever to remove these pressures in-year is to reduce spending to achieve balance.”
But opposition parties and experts pointed the finger at the SNP’s own record in government for the pressures it was now facing.
Laurie Macfarlane, co-director of the Future Economy Scotland think-tank, said the SNP’s decision to freeze council tax rates last year had proved shortsighted.
“The Scottish Government claims the cuts are due to UK spending decisions,” he added. “This is partly true, and the Chancellor has made it clear that more cuts are coming.
“However, Scottish Government decisions have also played a role. Public sector pay deals were rightly prioritised. But the recent decision to spend £150m freezing council tax was remarkably shortsighted.”
He added: “It seems likely that local authorities, the arts, environment and transport will be among the worst hit. Coming off the back of previous cuts, this is likely to be extremely painful.
“The First Minister came to power promising to deliver four missions: ending child poverty, strengthening the economy, net zero and improving public services. One thing is certain – the cuts being unveiled today will undermine every single one of these.”
Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor, announced in June the UK Government faced a £22 billion blackhole in public spending as a result of previous decisions taken by the Tories before they lost power.
The Labour minister is expected to announce further spending cuts at the UK Budget next month.
The Scottish Government will announce its provisional budget for 2025/26 on December 4.
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