Meeting of the Parliament 27 April 2017
Education is my top priority. That is why—[Interruption.] Kezia Dugdale does not like to hear this, but that is why, right now across Scotland, headteachers and teachers have in their hands £120 million of additional funding. That is why local government services are better off to the tune of £400 million under this SNP Government.
I say to Kezia Dugdale that she has zero credibility left—not a shred—on the issue of local government funding. For years—and in her local government manifesto that was published just days ago—she has complained about the council tax freeze and how it is strangling local government services, yet, of the eight councils that are freezing the council tax in this election, how many are Labour led? All eight. This is from Stirling—“Stirling Labour Freeze Your Council Tax”. Kezia Dugdale should not come here talking about funding for local services when it is her councils that are failing to raise the money that we need for our schools.