Meeting of the Parliament 15 January 2025
I have been contacted by Aberdeenshire constituents who are very concerned about the low per capita funding that the council receives. Maintenance of transport and connectivity, including gritting roads and pavements and preserving the authority’s more than 1,100 bridges, is vital for many rural communities. The shire also has an ageing population, with a projected 28 per cent increase in the number of those over the age of 65 by 2029. Those people will require additional funding for the services that they should be able to rely on.
Given the well-evidenced nature of rural inequality, can the cabinet secretary outline any plans to review the funding formula, and specify what is being done to ensure that rural communities are not cut off, further marginalised and facing worsening inequality?