Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur) LD

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-16489, in the name of Ivan McKee, on the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2025. I invite members...

The Minister for Public Finance (Ivan McKee) SNP

The motion on the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2025 seeks Parliament’s approval for the guaranteed allocations of revenue funding to individual ...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

How is the 85 per cent floor calculated now? Does it include council tax? Does it exclude the biggest beneficiaries of the revenue system? Changing the formu...

Ivan McKee SNP

I recognise the member’s specific local interest in how that calculation is done. Of course, it is COSLA that does the work to assess how to distribute that ...

Willie Rennie LD

Will you take a further intervention?

Ivan McKee SNP

Sure.

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

Through the chair, Mr Rennie.

Willie Rennie LD

The 85 per cent floor is specified in the Scottish public finance manual, which is produced by the Scottish Government, so it is Government policy.

Ivan McKee SNP

That work is done with COSLA. However, if the member wants to address specifics, I am happy to pick those up separately with him. There remains a further £1...

Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives in the debate on this year’s local government finance order. The motion before us today is nece...

Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green) Green

Does the member agree that it is profoundly ridiculous to have a council tax system whereby most people are paying the wrong rate and that, regardless of wha...

Alexander Stewart Con

I agree with the member that revaluation is the first step in that direction. I hope that that can be looked at. I referred to the gaps in funding. The Scot...

Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

The Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2025 is a step in the right direction, but we should look more closely at the claim that it represents a succes...

Ivan McKee SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Mark Griffin Lab

Yes, I will.

Ivan McKee SNP

The member said that there is £5 billion for this financial year. Will he clarify, for the record, that it absolutely is not, but that it is spread over two ...

Mark Griffin Lab

The UK Government has provided the Scottish Government with more than £5 billion extra. Only this SNP Government could complain about an extra £5 billion and...

Ross Greer Green

Does the member agree with me and with Alexander Stewart that it is farcical that most people are paying the wrong rate of council tax and that, whatever we ...

Mark Griffin Lab

It is absolutely ridiculous that we have a valuation system that was set up when I was in primary 1. I am not sure whether Ross Greer had even been born when...

Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green) Green

The Scottish Greens set out two red lines at the start of the budget process. One was about climate and nature spend and the other was a real-terms increase ...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

I love Ross Greer’s eternal optimism about the reform of local government finance. He and I have sat through numerous working groups and consultations where ...

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

Does Mr Rennie recognise that the problem that he set out regarding Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire has been exacerbated by the fact that we have not h...

Willie Rennie LD

I think that it was 1991, but yes—absolutely. The system has been exacerbated by that issue; there is no doubt about that. I hope that the minister takes t...

Ivan McKee SNP

The 2025 local government finance order that is before us today seeks parliamentary approval for the guaranteed payment of £13.9 billion in revenue support t...

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

That concludes that item of business. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business, to allow front-bench members to change places.