Concerns have been raised about the devastating impact of budget cuts in West Dunbartonshire Council voted through by the ruling Labour administration.
Services including community facilities, local branch libraries and grass cutting in open spaces will no longer be delivered by the Council – while education, employability, youth services and many more have had their operating budgets slashed.
In total £6.288m of services have been removed or reduced, impacting on every one of West Dunbartonshire’s 88,000 residents.
Commenting, local MP Martin Docherty-Hughes said:
“Since Labour took control of West Dunbartonshire Council we’ve had fleeting visits from Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar for photo ops.
“Last night their Labour councillors voted through devastating cuts to community groups, local facilities and public services.
“It’s clear that these Labour cuts – forced through without public consultation – will hit hardest for the most vulnerable in our communities.
“We know that councils across the country face difficult budget decisions. That is due to austerity imposed by Westminster, and soaring inflation caused by the UK govt’s economic mismanagement & failure to keep energy costs down (not to mention the damaging impact of Brexit).
“Instead of acknowledging this, the Scottish Labour party tries to blame the SNP for the budgetary pressures facing local government.
“If true, then why do councils in Wales – where Labour is in power – warn of unprecedented cuts to local public services?
“The reality is the Labour party works hand-in-glove with the Tories to keep Scotland tied to Westminster. It doesn’t matter if it’s Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak in No. 10 – they’re two sides of the same coin.
“The only way to escape the decline of Brexit Britain is with independence.”
