Greens say they secured £39 million in extra cash for Edinburgh through Holyrood budget deals

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The party, which has provided the minority Scottish Government with the numbers it needed to pass their annual tax and spending plans, said under the previous SNP majority government, harsh cuts were imposed on local councils, which led to services being cut.

But it claimed that thanks to Green MSPs, local authorities had seen their budgets rise over the last five years, with Edinburgh City Council receiving at least £39 million in additional funding over that period.

Alison Johnstone, the number one Scottish Green candidate for Lothian, said: “Scottish Greens MSPs were able to negotiate millions more in funding for Edinburgh council. This is not just a number on a spreadsheet. It is real money and has meant extra funding for frontline jobs and the vital services that people rely on every day.

"Other parties have been happy to criticise from the side-lines, but we have worked hard to protect and support services like education, social care, and local transport in Edinburgh.

"In the last budget, Scottish Green MSPs secured Covid relief payments for 500,000 families, free school meals for all primary school pupils and free bus travel for everyone under 22.

"We did this with only five MSPs. With more MSPs we can do even more to build a fairer, greener future for Edinburgh and to ensure that everyone can access high quality local services."

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