Bob Doris MSP today hit out at Glasgow Labour MSP's, led by Labour deputy leader Johann Lamont, over their hypocrisy in relation to the savage cuts coming to Scotland in 2010-11 from a UK Labour Government. Mr Doris highlighted two specific matters, on money for house building and on Council Tax levels, which he says clearly demonstrates a deliberate ploy by the Labour Party to mislead the voters of Glasgow in the run up to the UK General election.

Johann Lamont described, wrongly, Scotland's 2010-11 housing  budget as 'cuts imposed by the SNP Government'.  This ignored the fact that Scotland has a  £1.7 billion affordable housing fund  between 2007-8 and 2010-11. That is a  budget increase of 19% over that time. Ms Lamont also chose to ignore that the reason for the 2010-11 housing budget levels was specifically to do with capital acceleration of part of that capital budget into 2009-10 in order to help Scotland's construction industry during the Labour recession.

On this matter Mr Doris said: "Johann Lamont  knows full well £120 million of accelerated funding was brought forward from 2010/11 to this year to support affordable housing in Scotland and provide vital work for the construction sector. Ms Lamont did not oppose this. In fact the Labour Party supported the SNP.

"The facts are that over the three years of an SNP Scottish Government, which includes 2010-11, the money available for social housing has increased 19%. This contrasts with Ms Lamont's fantasy economics. She should know that the same money cannot be spent twice. The real reason the 2010-11 budget is so challenging is because the UK Labour Government refused to further accelerate cash from the 2011-12 to the coming year. Scottish Labour actually supported the SNP calls for that cash but their masters in London, Gordon Brown and Alasdair Darling, refused. Now Labour MSP's have gone quiet on the matter and as usual it is left to the SNP to stand up for Scotland"

On Council Tax levels Mr Doris pointed to three Labour MSP's from Glasgow region who recently supported an amendment to a parliamentary motion criticising the SNP Government's 'zero percent council tax policy' and their misleading attempt to connect this to service cuts, a clear sign that Scottish Labour are in total denial about the UK Labour Government's savage cuts to the Scottish budget.

On this matter Mr Doris said: "This is total hypocrisy from Glasgow Labour MSP's. If they are against the SNP Government's decision to support a freeze in the Council Tax for the last 3 years, they must say how much Labour would add to the Council Tax bills of Glasgow households. People are struggling right now and the SNP are trying to keep bills low. We don’t want to see a return to the last Labour Scottish Executive when bills increased by 51% in Glasgow. This stinks of another Labour propaganda stunt to try and hide the fact that Scotland will get a cut of nearly £800 from the UK Government in 2010-11. Our budget is falling 1.6% in real terms under a UK Labour Government. Only electing SNP MSP's will help resist these cuts. It is clear that the more Nats in Westminster means less cuts to Scotland."

Notes:

1. S3M-05913.1 David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Scottish Labour): Cuts to Community Safety Services in East Dunbartonshire—
As an amendment to motion S3M-5913 in the name of Stuart McMillan (Cuts to Community Safety Services in East Dunbartonshire), leave out from first “notes” to end and insert “considers that difficult budget decisions had to be taken by East Dunbartonshire Council, such as the reduction in community safety services, as a result of the SNP government’s imposition of zero percent council tax policy and the low settlement given to East Dunbartonshire Council by the SNP government to provide for vital services, and further considers that the SNP group of East Dunbartonshire Council took an irresponsible stance by refusing to participate in all-party budget discussions”.

Supported by: Jackie Baillie, Mr Frank McAveety, Rhona Brankin, Trish Godman, James Kelly, Helen Eadie, Des McNulty, Pauline McNeill, Mary Mulligan, Elaine Smith, Marilyn Livingstone

Lodged on Wednesday, March 10, 2010; Current See S3M-05913

It has been supported by Jackie Baillie, Mr Frank McAveety, Rhona Brankin, Trish Godman, James Kelly, Helen Eadie, Des McNulty, Pauline McNeill, Mary Mulligan, Elaine Smith

2.                   1996-97         2007-08 %       Increase 96-97 to 07-08      
                       Band D           Band D                 %      
Scotland        £708             £1,138                 61%    
Aberdeen City   £648    £1,230  90%    
Aberdeenshire   £591    £1,141  93%    
Angus                 £659    £1,072  63%    
Argyll & Bute   £675    £1,178  75%    
Clackmannanshire        £692    £1,148  66%    
Dumfries & Galloway     £590    £1,049  78%    
Dundee              £801    £1,211  51%    
East Ayrshire   £714    £1,189  67%    
East Dunbartonshire     £668    £1,142  71%    
East Lothian    £670    £1,118  67%    
East Renfrewshire       £621    £1,126  81%    
Edinburgh       £812    £1,169  44%    
Eilean Siar     £550    £1,024  86%    
Falkirk         £624    £1,070  71%    
Fife                £694    £1,118  61%    
Glasgow         £805    £1,213  51%    
Highland        £659    £1,163  77%    
Inverclyde      £762    £1,198  57%    
Midlothian      £718    £1,210  69%    
Moray             £608    £1,135  87%    
North Ayrshire  £660    £1,152  75%    
North Lanarkshire       £758    £1,098  45%    
Orkney Islands  £480    £1,037  116%   
Perth & Kinross £699    £1,158  66%    
Renfrewshire    £738    £1,165  58%    
Scottish Borders        £558    £1,084  94%    
Shetland Islands        £443    £1,053  138%   
South Ayrshire  £731    £1,154  58%    
South Lanarkshire       £724    £1,101  52%    
Stirling                    £678    £1,223  80%    
West Dunbartonshire     £812    £1,163  43%    
West Lothian    £678    £1,128  66%