LABOUR and the SNP have clashed over the impending local budget after the Leader of North Ayrshire Council said he would not be accepting the Scottish Government’s budget.

The Labour leader of North Ayrshire Council, Cllr Joe Cullinane, told the SNP Government he will not be signing up to a budget that he says leaves a £17m black hole in his Council’s finances.

But the SNP Deputy Leader at NAC, Cllr Alan Hill, says that his Labour counterpart is just looking to blame someone and it is ultimately the responsibility of Labour for the budget of North Ayrshire.

The Scottish Government’s Finance Secretary, Derek Mackay, has written to all 32 Council Leaders in Scotland asking whether they accept his budget offer. Labour say that despite claiming that his financial settlement to local government is sanction free, the SNP MSP then threatens that any council not accepting the offer by January 26 will receive a worse a settlement.

In his letter, Labour Councillor Joe Cullinane, lambasted Mr Mackay for trying to bully councils into accepting his minority Government’s budget ‘offer’ before MSPs have been able to “scrutinise, debate and vote” on it.

Councillor Cullinane has accused the SNP Government of breaking their promise to fully fund the expansion of Early Years provision by claiming “it is clear it is being funded by cuts elsewhere in council budgets” and he points out that of the £150m capital funding announced for Early Years expansion £60m is funded by cutting council’s core capital revenue grant which will mean “delaying (other) projects or scrapping them altogether.”

On pay, Mr Mackay is asked directly whether his policy on council workers’ pay is that pay increases “should be funded through the loss of their colleague’s jobs” as his draft budget provides no funding for pay awards i n 2018/19.

Speaking after sending his letter, Councillor Cullinane said: “The arrogance of a minority Government trying to bully councils into accepting cuts before Parliament has even had a say is truly staggering.

“To, on the one hand, claim the settlement is “sanction free” but then threaten deeper cuts to any council who dares challenge him is disgraceful.

“The bottom line is that North Ayrshire Council faces the largest single year financial deficit in its history. Mr Mackay and the SNP are threatening to impose draconian cuts on our communities and they are extremely naive if they think I will sign up to that.”

The SNP’s Councillor Alan Hill responded: “As ever Joe Cullinane seeks to blame the SNP for every ill facing the council, Scotland and the world.

“Fortunately most readers will know that the Scottish Government remains reliant on the bulk of its funding from a Westminster Tory Government. An uncaring Tory Government determined to push its austerity agenda at the expense of our local services and jobs.

“We live in tough times and the council has some tough decisions to make, just as the Scottish Government must make tough decisions.

“Joe Cullinane was quick enough to accept the votes of Tory councillors when he was chasing the leadership of the council. Sadly however for Joe, with that leadership comes the responsibility of making those tough decisions.

“No matter how hard he may try and blame everyone else, it is Labour’s responsibility to balance the North Ayrshire Council books and to make those tough decisions.

“That would, of course, have been a little easier for him to do if we were not saddled with debt repayments of £1m every month, thanks to Labour’s own discredited PFI schools scheme.”