Funding cuts hit Edinburgh twice as hard as average: Labour

Edinburgh has suffered more from funding cuts under SNP, Labour says. File picture

FUNDING cuts have hit Edinburgh twice as hard as other councils since the SNP came to power, Labour says.

New figures show central government funding for local authorities across Scotland falling by seven per cent since 2007, while in Edinburgh the drop was 13 per cent per person.

The funding reductions included withdrawal of finances for police and fire services when these were centralised, which means the figures from one year to the next are not strictly comparable.

But Edinburgh Labour candidates said the crucial fact revealed in the statistics was how much the Capital had suffered compared with most other parts of Scotland. They said that, adjusting for police and fire funding, the cuts amounted to £245 per person in Edinburgh since 2008.

The calculations are based on figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

They show Glasgow also fared badly with a 15 per cent cut, while SNP-controlled Dundee was closer to the average with an eight per cent fall.

Daniel Johnson, Labour candidate for Edinburgh Southern, said: “It’s time someone stood up for Edinburgh.