KATE Forbes has been urged to reverse a £655 million funding shortfall in social care when she delivers her Budget on Thursday.

Scottish Labour is calling on the SNP Finance Secretary to offer social care a new deal including an immediate pay rise for workers to £12 an hour, rising to £15 an hour next year.

Forbes has stressed her Budget will be “another stepping stone towards a fairer, greener, more prosperous future”.

Labour believe a pay rise for social care workers would acknowledge the effort put in by staff during the pandemic and address the workforce shortage being exacerbated by Brexit, given that retail and hospitality jobs are generally higher paid.

The party is also calling on the Scottish Government to use £655 million of the additional £3.9 billion it has received from the UK Government in this year’s Budget to fix the shortfalls in funding for the social care sector.

Labour hopes extra funding could allow more people to access social care at an earlier stage, remove charges for non-residential social care support and reduce delayed discharge as care packages can be put in place.

The funding will also increase the financial support for free personal and nursing care for self-funders in care homes and reopen the independent living fund.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, believes the package can be delivered if the SNP agrees to work wither party.

She said: “Scotland’s social care system, and the workers that deliver for those in their care day in and day out, have been neglected for too long.

READ MORE: Labour calls for spending review to make sure 'every penny counts' in Kate Forbes' SNP Budget

“While it is welcome that the SNP has begun work on a National Care Service, something Scottish Labour called for over a decade ago, we need to take action now to strengthen the sector and protect staff and service users.

“Scottish Labour’s ambitious plans would deliver fair pay for Scotland’s care workers and deliver the funding needed to plug the gaps in the care sector to re-build care services after the pandemic.

“We have the chance to deliver a fair recovery for social care and for the workers in the sector – let’s take that chance.”

Ahead of the Budget being delivered, Forbes has said action to reduce inequalities, support economic recovery and tackle the climate crisis will be central.

She said: “This is a critical time for Scotland –we are still in the grip of the pandemic and families and businesses across the country are bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis. However, in these times of crisis, we need to go beyond the norm.

“While the pandemic may have defined our lives in recent times, the Scottish Government is determined it does not define our future. The 2022-2023 Scottish Budget that I will present on Thursday is another stepping stone towards a fairer, greener, more prosperous future.

“This Budget will provide certainty and stability for families whilst working to reduce inequalities, the process for which has already begun with the First Minister recently announcing the doubling of the child payment to £20 per child per week from April next year, reaching over 105,000 children under age 6 in just four months’ time. When we extend the Scottish Child Payment to all under 16s at the end of next year, over 400,000 children and their families will be eligible.

“We will also invest in infrastructure that allows us to drive down emissions and create the green jobs of the future that come with the transition to a greener Scotland and set out plans to bolster our economic recovery and support our public services.

“This year’s Budget is set against a challenging fiscal backdrop as a result of the UK Government’s decision to reduce Scotland’s day-to-day spending by removing ongoing Covid funding, despite the continuing impacts of the pandemic.

"The Budget I will present on Thursday will enable the Scottish Government to make good on our promise to build a fairer, greener Scotland. That is our social, economic and environmental imperative.”