Funding for West Dunbartonshire Council labelled "unethical and destructive" as budget looms

dailyrecord.co.uk:

West Dunbartonshire Council’s leader has labelled Scottish Government funding for the area “destructive and unethical.”However, Labour’s administration has come under fire from opponents for a lack of consultation with the public on the brutal cuts facing local authority services.SNP group leader Karen Conaghan said: “As part of the previous administration I know setting a balanced budget is not easy.“Times have got even harder, and the UK Government has decided that we will all pay for the financial support provided during the Covid pandemic.“Those who are least able to pay are those who are suffering most from this political choice.

Council officers, year-on-year, have provided suggested savings that are increasingly unpalatable and many residents are, rightly, extremely concerned at many of those options.“The Labour administration made many promises in May last year about putting extra money in residents pockets, but not only are they now not making good on these promises, they will oversee job losses and bring down swingeing cuts on services which we all rely on here in West Dunbartonshire.“This is on top of over £4 million of cuts which they gave our towns as a Christmas gift at the December 22 Council meeting, and all of this with no public consultation.”Labour leader Martin Rooney hit back, laying the blame at Holyrood.He said: “There is no escaping the fact that extremely difficult choices will have to be made in order to balance the budget next month.“Reducing council services is not something I or any member of local government want, but we can only work within the confines of the budgets available.“It is a simple fact that without more funding, we are being forced into making these decisions which will have a