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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2026

04 Feb 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Local Government Finance Settlements (Rurality)
Robison, Shona SNP Dundee City East Watch on SPTV

Alexander Burnett should be honest with his constituents that proposing £1 billion of unfunded, unaffordable tax cuts would wipe out any increase to the local government settlement. The £235 million that local government has received for the 2026-27 budget—absolutely every penny of it—would go, and there would be not a single penny of extra funding for Aberdeenshire Council. Alexander Burnett should be honest with his constituents about that.

If Alexander Burnett disagrees with the distribution formula, which has to be agreed with 32 local authorities and COSLA, I am sure that they would be very open to any suggestions that might be made. Any change would of course require the agreement of the 32 local authorities, but I am sure that they would be very keen to hear any constructive proposals that Alexander Burnett would like to put forward.

In the same item of business

6. Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Con
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to recognise rurality in local government finance settlements. ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Shona Robison) SNP
Rurality is a key element of the needs-based distribution formula that is discussed and agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on behalf of...
Alexander Burnett Con
Aberdeenshire Council is the lowest-funded rural council in Scotland, and its public services are among the most expensive to deliver across miles of coast a...
Shona Robison SNP
Alexander Burnett should be honest with his constituents that proposing £1 billion of unfunded, unaffordable tax cuts would wipe out any increase to the loca...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Ind
I have a constituent farmer, Neil Gordon, in Balnaan, who relies on the use of Balnaan bridge to carry out his work. The bridge has recently been closed beca...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur) LD
Always speak through the chair, please, and supplementaries should be relevant to the substantive question.
Shona Robison SNP
The Parliament has previously been unanimous in its support for the climate action that is required to be taken for Scotland, and I think that it would be di...
Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con) Con
If the rural funding formula for councils is working and is fair, why is SNP-run Dumfries and Galloway Council currently consulting on the ending of free mus...
Shona Robison SNP
Craig Hoy, of course, is the author of the tax policy that would remove every penny of funding that I have provided to 32 local authorities. The Tories canno...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con) Con
Answer the question.
Shona Robison SNP
—of local government funding that the budget provides. Of course, they are going to vote against the £235 million of funding—
Stephen Kerr Con
Answer the question!
Shona Robison SNP
—for local government that will help the 32 local authorities, including the local authority to which Craig Hoy referred.As I said earlier, the rural distrib...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur) LD
Mr Kerr, I have given you a couple of supplementaries during portfolio question time. If you want to ask another supplementary question, please press your bu...
Stephen Kerr Con
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.