KATE Forbes has told MSPs her Government’s budget will “help put Scotland on the road to recovery” from the pandemic amid concerns local councils have not been handed enough cash to mitigate the crisis.
The Scottish Government's Budget was formerly agreed after a deal was struck with the Greens and Liberal Democrats.
The agreement secures a host of policies including free bus travel for those up to 21 years old and funding for free school meals and mental health support.
The Finance Secretary said the cross-party deal will “deliver the certainty and stability that Scotland, it's people and its businesses and its communities deserve” to support recovery from the pandemic.
READ MORE: SNP secures budget deal: Public sector pay boost and free school meals rollout
Ms Forbes added that she has worked with other parties to "deliver a Budget which supports Scotland's recovery form the Covid-19 pandemic".
She added: "The passage of this Budget will have a profound effect on our economy and our public services."
But Murdo Fraser, Conservatives finance spokesperson, said the increased spending by the Scottish Government has only been possible because of the “broad shoulders of the British Government”.
He warned that more support is needed for the “many businesses across the country currently struggling to survive” pandemic restrictions.
Mr Fraser added that more needs to be done for those traders “not legally advised to close” but have seen a “substantial drop” in their earnings due to the pandemic.
He told Ms Forbes his party could not support her Budget as there is a missing £350 million that “councils believe they need just to stand still”, warning that despite the increased funds from Westminster “not one extra penny” will go to local authorities since the draft Budget was set out.
He added: "While the Scottish Government’s budget is increasing by an unprecedented amount, local councils are seeing their resources squeezed and local services will have to be cut as a result.
“The Scottish Conservatives want to see fair funding for councils and this budget does not deliver that.”
Cosla's resources spokesperson, Gail Macgregor warned that "without flexible additional funding to our core Budget, our ability to help recover from Covid is severely eroded".
Scottish Labour finance spokesperson, Daniel Johnson, warned his party could not support the plans without a commitment on “improving the pay for social care workers”.
The party's plans for social care pay started at £12-an-hour and would rise to £15-an-hour.
Ms Forbes told MSPs that it may be possible to follow recommendations on pay later on this year, but stressed no funding was available in the Budget for the policy.
Mr Johnson stressed that “the Government has made different choices”, insisting that “the cabinet secretary has the financial headroom to deliver it”.
He added: "The SNP has failed to deliver the fair pay deal that care workers deserve."
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