The Scottish Parliament has passed the budget for 2011-12 with extra resources allocated to create apprenticeships and college places. The Labour Party has come under heavy criticism for voting against the budget whilst failing to propose any alternatives. The budget was amended at Stage 3 to increase the number of apprenticeships funded by the Scottish Government from 20,000 this year to 25,000 next year and there will be an additional £15 million for further education.

Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, has today welcomed the budget in the face of £1.3billion cuts from Westminster as “by far the best of a bad situation”.

Speaking after the vote at Holyrood the SNP MSP said: “When the Labour party is faced with a choice between the Scottish national interest and the Labour party interest they choose the latter every single time. Today they voted against 25,000 apprenticeships, 1,200 extra further education college places and the continuation of the SNP council tax freeze.

“They say they have ideas for creating jobs but they keep these ideas a well guarded secret, instead choosing to threaten 25,000 apprenticeship places. They have no plans for job creation in Glasgow and no vision to bring the city back to economic recovery.

“Labour’s negative game playing with Scotland’s finances in the budget debate comes hot on the heels of the shocking hypocrisy over Labour’s dual stance on the Lockerbie issue. People will be wondering what on earth Labour stands for these days other than to be the anti-SNP party.

“Glaswegians want real solutions to the challenges the city is facing and it will become increasingly clear in the weeks ahead that Labour are part of the problem, not the solution.”

Note:

Labour have voted against:

• Invest a further £11.5 million to create 25,000 modern apprenticeship places - a record high for Scotland
• Abolition of prescription charges and the Council tax freeze;
• Continuing Small Business Bonus Scheme;
• Invest an additional £15 million across 2010-11 and 2011-12 in funding for college bursaries;
• 1,000 additional police officers;
  
• £10 million support for SME employment creation - focused on new starts, sole traders and small firms to take on new employees by assisting with employment and recruitment costs and assist with exports
• Provide 7,000 flexible training opportunities for SMEs - 2,000 more than originally planned in the draft Budget
• Invest £8 million to provide enough funding for an extra 1,200 college places
• Maintain educational grants (EMAs) for pupils and college students most in need which were cut south of the border;
• Extending the Living Wage of £7.15 to all agencies the Government is responsible for and Scotland's NHS.
• Guarantee a probation place for every newly-qualified teacher and provide enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12;
• New Early Years and Early Intervention Fund, with start-up funding of £5 million;
• £2m Freight Facilities Grant;
  
• £1m Post office Diversification Scheme;
• £12.5 million for Urban Regeneration Companies - increase of £6 million on the Draft budget;
• £16 million further investment in Housing;
• Protect Health Spending and continue provisions for free personal care;
  
• £2.5 billion infrastructure investment programme;
• Infrastructure Commitments such as the new Forth crossing, New South Glasgow Hospitals project and school building programme
• £70 million Renewables Infrastructure Fund - over four years;
• £48 million support for energy assistance package and Home Insulation Scheme.

All this done in spite of £1.3 billion in cuts started under Labour.