GLASGOW has emerged as the biggest loser in a hasty rewrite of next year’s financial settlement for councils following a Scottish Government blunder.
Glasgow City Council is set to lose more than £5m from changes after civil servants put the wrong number into a key calculation for 2018-19.
SNP Finance Secretary Derek Mackay is now under fire for the error.
Pressed by the council umbrella group Cosla over the weekend, the Scottish Government has reluctantly agreed to correct the problem.
Although the overall settlement is unaffected, the money going to individual councils is now being redistributed differently, creating 22 winners and 10 losers.
SNP-run Glasgow, Scotland’s largest council, saw its expected slice of income fall £5.3m, Edinburgh lose £3m, Aberdeen £1.6m, North Ayrshire £1.4m and North Lanarkshire £0.7m.
The biggest gainer from the redistribution of cash was South Lanarkshire, picking up £1.9m.
Jim Logue, Labour leader of North Lanarkshire, laid the blame on Mr Mackay.
He said: “He is too incompetent to make sure his sums add up too. This budget blunder by the Cabinet Secretary means North Lanarkshire alone has to find a further £700,000 worth of savings on top of the £22m cut already handed to us by the Scottish Government.
“A similar amount of money could protect council services such as the Kilbowie Outdoor Centre, which is so appreciated by parents, children and our wider school community.
“This SNP Government have shown over the last decade the contempt they have for local councils. A Finance Secretary that can’t appear to count is the ultimate proof.”
A Government spokesperson said: “The budget consultation closed on 12 January and Cosla, on behalf of local government, requested that the Scottish Government make some adjustments to provisional allocations. Revised figures were sent to local authorities.”
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