Commenting on the SNP budget announced this week and what it means
for Fife Council, Labour leader Alex Rowley said: “As a councillor, one of the
biggest issues I deal with day in and day out is housing and the truth is we
just don’t have enough houses for rent and we don’t have adequate provision of
special needs housing to meet the demands in our communities. It is therefore
tragic that the SNP government have cut the affordable housing budget by 50%.
“Having a secure affordable home is the biggest single
thing we can offer families in order that they can build a stable future, get a
job and provide for their families health and wellbeing. In Fife the numbers of
homelessness has risen 50% in the last three years and this cut is ill
considered.”
Mr Rowley also warned that the budget cuts were not driven
by doing more for less but were about ‘cutting’ services. He said: “This is not
efficiency savings and the government need to be honest and acknowledge that we
will see real cuts in public services. We must therefore do all we can to
protect the frontline in our classrooms, in our neighbourhoods and in the
caring services. I have yet to be convinced that we could not do more to cut
the bureaucracy, the pet projects and the continuing dominance of central
administration.”
