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WEST LOTHIAN SET TO BE SHORT-CHANGED BY £9,752,616 DUE TO TORY ‘SMOKE AND MIRRORS’

WEST LOTHIAN SET TO BE SHORT-CHANGED BY £9,752,616 DUE TO TORY ‘SMOKE AND MIRRORS’

Published date : 14 March, 2022

HOUSEHOLDS IN WEST LOTHIAN TO BE SHORT-CHANGED BY £122.07

 

West Lothian  is set to be short-changed by £9,752,616 due to Tory smoke and mirrors over support for those struggling with the cost of living, equating to £122.07 per household in the area.

 

Tory Chancellor revealed he would be providing Scotland with an additional £290m to help with the cost of household council tax bills.

 

However, Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has revealed that there is no additional money Scotland to help low-income families pay their council tax.

 

In a letter to Holyrood’s Finance committee Ms. Forbes reveals the Scottish Government was expecting to receive £852m from the Treasury but will instead receive £814m. Meaning the Scottish Government will have to find funds from elsewhere in its budget to cover help people across the region pay their council tax bills.

 

Commenting, Almond Valley MSP Angela Constance said:

 

“It is scandalous they have tried to pull the wool over the eyes of people across West Lothian by claiming they would be providing extra cash to deal with the cost of living crisis, but instead are short-changing 79,892 households by £122.07 each.

 

"Rishi Sunak made a huge fanfare about how Westminster was being generous to Scotland when the truth is that they have provided nothing extra at all.

 

"And again, the Scottish Government has to make good on another broken Tory promise by finding funds from its limited budget to help out hard-pressed families by cutting £150 off their council tax bills.

 

“This is real cash to deal with the cost of living crisis, not Tory smoke and mirrors. This trend is all too familiar to people in Scotland – when it comes to the Tories, all we get is cuts, not cash.

 

“This once again demonstrates that it is only with the full powers that independence would bring that we can provide support for those on the lowest incomes instead of having one hand tied behind our backs by relentless Tory cuts.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/westminster-uk-government-scottish-government-snp-scottish-b2030319.html

 

Area name

Population

% of Scot.

TOTAL

[£CASH]

Households

Shortfall Per Household

[£HOUSEHOLDS]

Scotland

5,466,000

100%

£290,000,000

2,507,625

£115.65

Aberdeen City

229,060

4.19%

£12,152,836

108,893

£111.60

Aberdeenshire

260,780

4.77%

£13,835,748

112,713

£122.75

Angus

115,820

2.12%

£6,144,859

54,480

£112.79

Argyll and Bute

85,430

1.56%

£4,532,510

41,839

£108.33

City of Edinburgh

527,620

9.65%

£27,993,011

239,364

£116.95

Clackmannanshire

51,290

0.94%

£2,721,204

24,066

£113.07

Dumfries & Galloway

148,290

2.71%

£7,867,563

69,957

£112.46

Dundee City

148,820

2.72%

£7,895,682

70,689

£111.70

East Ayrshire

121,600

2.22%

£6,451,518

55,564

£116.11

East Dunbartonshire

108,750

1.99%

£5,769,759

46,563

£123.91

East Lothian

107,900

1.97%

£5,724,662

47,482

£120.56

East Renfrewshire

96,060

1.76%

£5,096,487

39,586

£128.74

Falkirk

160,560

2.94%

£8,518,551

72,994

£116.70

Fife

374,130

6.84%

£19,849,561

169,886

£116.84

Glasgow City

635,640

11.63%

£33,724,040

295,761

£114.02

Highland

235,430

4.31%

£12,490,798

110,084

£113.47

Inverclyde

77,060

1.41%

£4,088,438

37,646

£108.60

Midlothian

93,150

1.70%

£4,942,097

40,137

£123.13

Moray

95,710

1.75%

£5,077,918

43,175

£117.61

Na h-Eileanan Siar

26,500

0.48%

£1,405,964

12,849

£109.42

North Ayrshire

134,250


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