Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 28 February 2024
28 Feb 2024 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2024 [Draft]
On that point about consultation, can the member confirm that Councillor Stephen McCabe consulted Mr Griffin, as the party’s local government finance spokesperson, before he wrote to Michael Gove, asking Michael Gove to bypass this Parliament? Can Mr Griffin confirm whether that is something that he approves of?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-12130, in the name of Tom Arthur, on the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2024. Members who wish...
The Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance (Tom Arthur)
SNP
The motion on the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2024 seeks Parliament’s approval for the guaranteed allocations of revenue funding to individual ...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
The minister mentioned the Verity house agreement. Has he checked with the First Minister whether it is still a thing? Does it still exist?
Tom Arthur
SNP
In his eagerness to make an intervention, the member might not have heard me. We have baselined almost £1 billion into the local government funding settlemen...
Pam Gosal (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives on the order. From the outset, it is right that we acknowledge that the 2024-25 local governmen...
Tom Arthur
SNP
Will the member give way?
Pam Gosal
Con
I think that the minister should listen to me say how we are going to vote.
Tom Arthur
SNP
Will the member give way?
Pam Gosal
Con
Do we have enough time, Presiding Officer?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
It is up to the member whether she gives way. We are tight for time, but she will get a little bit of time back.
Tom Arthur
SNP
I am grateful to Pam Gosal for giving way. She said that she has spoken to councils. Were the responses that she has received from councils sent in their cor...
Pam Gosal
Con
That is a good question, and it is great that I can clarify that. I have spoken to 31 council chief executive officers. I have gone right to the top of the c...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
We will not oppose the order today, because we know that it is necessary to get the funding allocated to councils. However, although we will not attempt to b...
Tom Arthur
SNP
On that point about consultation, can the member confirm that Councillor Stephen McCabe consulted Mr Griffin, as the party’s local government finance spokesp...
Mark Griffin
Lab
Mr McCabe is a democratically elected leader of his own council and acts in that capacity without any instruction from me or anyone else. He has his own demo...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
Let us remember that the Verity house agreement, the existence of which the minister could not confirm when I intervened earlier, talked about a “positive wo...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Willie Rennie
LD
Not just now—I am sorry. Do councillors in Glasgow City Council not care about education? Of course they care. It is because they have no money and are righ...
Tom Arthur
SNP
The Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2024, which is before Parliament today, seeks approval for the guaranteed payment of almost £12.8 billion in re...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
That concludes the debate on the draft Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2024.