Almost 5,000 jobs will be secured as a result of the Scottish Government's budget for next year, finance secretary John Swinney said today.
Almost 5,000 jobs will be secured as a result of the Scottish Government's budget for next year, finance secretary John Swinney said today.
The Budget Bill for 2009/10 sets out details of more than £230 million of spending being brought forward to help weather the economic storm.
The building of roads, health and dental centres, as well as college and university facilities are among the projects being accelerated through the additional funds.
"This money will help improve roads, build schools and deliver major infrastructure projects," Mr Swinney said as it was published in Edinburgh today.
"It will generate work, support jobs - 4,700 in total on the basis of these detailed plans - and keep the Scottish economy moving.
"All the spending decisions have at their heart our plans to help Scotland weather the economic storm and spark a strong recovery."
Local councils are to receive £90 million of the accelerated spending to support schools and housing while the NHS gets £50 million to guarantee new dental centres in Cumnock, Ayr, Fraserburgh, Campbeltown and Inverness as well as the new Forester Hill health centre in Aberdeen.
Road building will also benefit to the tune of £24 million to support the duelling of the A75 to Cairn Top the Barlae and the A96 Fochabers by-pass.
New affordable housing starts and measures to tackle fuel poverty get £85 million of support from the government, with £13 million going to colleges and universities to create and maintain facilities.
The government is also providing additional funding to local authorities for a council tax freeze again next year while also extending the small business bonus scheme.
"This is a budget to support economic recovery," Mr Swinney added.
"As we begin to feel the full effects of the downturn, it is the choices we made 14 months ago and are intensifying now that means tens of thousands of small business will pay no business rates at all from April.
"It is our foresight that put in place the resources to freeze the hated council tax - providing vital relief for hard-pressed bill payers."
The Budget Bill sets out about £33 billion of spending in Scotland over 2009-10.
It will be debated in Parliament next week and Mr Swinney said he remained open to possible changes proposed by opposition parties on the final make-up of the spending plans.
"I remain, as I've made clear throughout this process, very much prepared to engage in discussion with people in other political parties about how the budget provisions could be strengthened or improved," he said.
"The key rule is that it's a zero sum game.
"If we're going to improve expenditure in one area, we've got to identify where the money is coming from."
Mr Swinney has already ruled out a two pence income tax cut proposed by the Liberal Democrats claiming it would cost £800 million to the public purse.
"I've heard publicly nothing like £800 million of spending changes - in fact I don't think I've even heard much more than £8 million of spending changes," he said of the Lib Dem plans.
Mr Swinney has said the SNP would quit government if the budget fails to get through Holyrood, and he told Good Morning Scotland today that this was no threat but a simple statement of fact.
But Labour leader Iain Gray has insisted his party was prepared to see the SNP fall.
Speaking ahead of today's publication of the budget Mr Gray said: "Instead of sabre rattling the SNP should be concentrating on producing a budget that will protect Scottish jobs and our economy."
He went on: "I am ready and willing to offer Scottish Labour's support for any serious proposal that will boost the economy, but if the SNP's budget puts jobs and services at risk we will not support it."
Meanwhile independent MSP Margo MacDonald, whose support helped the SNP get its budget through last year, said today she had secured extra money for Edinburgh from Mr Swinney.
She said he had confirmed Edinburgh City Council would receive £3.5 million as the first year of a "capital city supplement" - an allowance to help the city fulfil its capital role.
"Although I was pleased to be able to negotiate half a million pounds more for this coming year directly with Mr Swinney, I have also informed him that I'm looking to him for flexibility even during the first year of the capital city supplement," she said.
Liberal Democrat finance spokesman Jeremy Purvis said the budget changes amounted to less than a "totally inadequate" 1% compared to the 2007 spending review.
"We remain disappointed that the SNP refuse even to consider the principle of personal tax cuts," he said.
"These figures clearly show that Scotland needs a dedicated fiscal stimulus and a particular response to the specific needs of the Scottish economy.
"Although our door remains open to the Scottish Government, so far they have been worryingly arrogant and complacent."
The CBI in Scotland welcomed the promise of business rate cuts, the pledge not to use Holyrood's tax-varying powers, and the bringing forward of spending plans.
Director Iain McMillan said: "There are other measures our members would like ministers to address, and there will rightly be further debate and discussion about the detail of the spending proposals over the coming days.
"However, given the difficulties our economy is experiencing at the moment, it is crucial that legislators behave collegiately and that Parliament passes a budget that provides business with the certainty and stability it needs."
Labour's shadow finance minister Andy Kerr pledged to examine the budget in detail but voiced fears it does not "go far enough."
He accused Mr Swinney of failing to follow the lead shown by Labour at Westminster by providing more money for skills and retraining.
"Only this week Labour at Westminster has invested £140 million to deliver 35,000 additional apprenticeships," he said.
"The SNP needs to show this kind of ambition for Scotland.
"Mr Swinney says the budget supports the government's six-point economic recovery programme. We have already pointed out this was inadequate."
The former finance minister said the Scottish Government's response to the credit crunch has been "very disappointing".
He added: "Scots are looking to the Scottish Government to provide ambitious leadership to protect jobs.
"Labour has played its part to protect jobs, putting £2 billion in the pockets of Scottish families to stimulate the economy.
"Interest rates and VAT have been cut and protection put in place to help those with mortgage difficulties.
"We need to see similar ambition from the Scottish Government at Holyrood."
Andrew Field, deputy chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, today voiced disappointment at the £10 million earmarked for affordable housing.
"Scotland needs around 10,000 new homes for rent every year," he said.
"While we welcome the extra £10 million brought forward we believe the Scottish Government has missed the opportunity to use more of the accelerated funding announced by Alistair Darling in his pre-budget speech for social housing.
"The extra money will not bring us near 10,000 new homes in 2009-10."
Greens want ministers to amend their budget to include £100 million a year in funding to support free loft and cavity wall insulation, plus funding for domestic micro-renewables and other energy efficiency measures.
The party today said it had the support of the Scottish Building Federation for the proposals at a time when 20,000 jobs have been lost in the construction sector and when 1,000 fewer apprenticeships are expected in 2009.
"The Scottish Government's budget is, as it stands, not an adequate response either to the economic crisis or to the environmental crisis we face," said party co-leader Patrick Harvie said.
"This is a golden opportunity for Ministers to tackle both fuel poverty and climate change, to reduce people's bills across Scotland, and to provide a much-needed boost to the construction industry."
