THE Greens and LibDems have hailed their wins as the Scottish Government’s Budget goes to its first Holyrood vote today.
Both parties extracted concessions from the SNP in exchange for their support.
The Greens said the policies they had secured would “lift more children out of poverty, make buses cheaper and help tackle the climate crisis”, while the LibDems positioned themselves as “strong local champions”.
The Greens secured commitments to extend free school meals for S1 to S3 pupils, more cash for nature restoration and a year-long trial of a £2 bus fare cap.
The LibDems secured money for drugs and neonatal services, hospices and colleges. They also won funding flexibility for Orkney Council.
Ross Greer (above), the Greens finance spokesperson, said: “There is a huge contrast between everything the Scottish Greens have delivered for people and planet, and a Scottish Labour Party who allowed the SNP’s Budget to pass without securing a single change of their own.
“While others played silly games, Green MSPs worked to support families in poverty and protect our natural environment.”
Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: “This budget contains a wide range of Liberal Democrat priorities backed by millions of pounds worth of government investment; that’s why we will be voting for it.”
Finance Secretary Shona Robison (below) said the Budget would include £200 million to cut NHS waiting times.
She said: “We know the NHS is still under considerable pressure due to lingering effects of the pandemic. Relieving this pressure is one of our main objectives.
“To that end, we have committed to a substantial increase in capacity to ensure no one waits more than a year for treatment by March 2026. The changes we propose will deliver more than 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in the coming year.”
But Scottish Labour insisted the Budget would not “deliver the change in direction Scotland really needs”.
Michael Marra, the party’s finance spokesperson, added: “This is a failing government with no plan for change and no vision for the future.
“So while we won’t stand in the way of Labour’s £5.2 billion reaching the frontline, we’ve seen nothing from the SNP that shows they’ll end a culture sticking plasters and wasteful mismanagement.”
