Some of the councillors who voted for the swingeing cuts in public services which have caused an unprecedented controversy in Aberdeen will today join a march in protest at the measures.
Hundreds of protesters are expected to march through the city centre for a rally at the Castlegate and Liberal Democrat council leader Kate Dean and SNP deputy provost John West are among councillors who will take part.
The rally is designed to persuade the council to reconsider some of the £27m of cuts which have hit sport and leisure services as well as affecting some of the most vulnerable in the community.
It has been organised jointly by the Grampian Senior Citizens Forum and Aberdeen Trades Union Council.
Kate Dean said: "I will be marching under the banner calling for a fair deal for Aberdeen. I can understand why people need to protest against these cuts but we also need to protest against the reason why we have had to make the cuts which in my opinion is mostly to do with the distribution formula.
"If we had the same funding as Glasgow we would have something like £60m a year more. We have the lowest funding settlement per head of population of any council in Scotland."
John West said: "We are protesting because of our budgetary situation. We had not option to make the cuts or raise council tax by something in the region of 30% which I wasn't elected to do." He said it was positive that John Swinney had indicated there was going to be a review of the funding formula which disadvantaged Aberdeen and added: "Scotland received its worst settlement from Westminster since devolution which I think was purely for political reasons."
Labour group leader Len Ironside accepted there had to be cuts of some description but said: "Our concern is the areas in which they have made these cuts. They are attacking the people who they thought wouldn't fight back - the vulnerable, people with a disability, young people and schools.
"When Labour left power in 2003 we left a £25m reserve fund. It was there for a rainy day. Here we are nearly five years later and that fund has gone and we are £27m in debt.
"I cannot accept that if you are going to make cuts you make them to the people who most need services. It is the politics of the madhouse."
Kevin Hutchens, an executive committee member of Aberdeen Trades Council, said most organisations affected were joining the march including the homelessness charity Aberdeen Cyrenians which has had a £900,000 budget cut.
The organisation has set up a protest camp outside the council's future headquarters at Marischal College but will end the vigil tonight.
"We want the council to reconsider the cuts," said Mr Hutchens.
Mr Hutchens has also launched an e-petition to the Scottish Parliament protesting against the cuts.
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