All plans for our area have to be considered in the context of the availability of cash to complete the necessary infrastructure projects to make any proposals for our area viable and sustainable.
Should you wish you can check out the press release for the Draft Scottish Budget 2010-2011 here and the Finance Officer, John Swinney's speech here
In the above mentioned speech Mr Swinney makes the statement:
"...a range of forecasters predicting significant real terms cuts to the Scottish budget, of up to 8.5 per cent between this year and the end of 2013-14*."
These forecasters are from The Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR), which is a major research initiative being jointly pursued by the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. Its web site states that it, "looks at the role of public policy in promoting economic and social development in Scotland and beyond"
One particular section of the report referred to in John Swinney's speech caught my eye:
"The potential budget decline outlined above would be difficult to accommodate in any circumstances but it is even more difficult to accommodate given the continuing expenditure pressures arising from: a very high priority for Health and Education budgets; an overall budget that consists of around 50% of wages; continuation of the council tax freeze; an ambitious transport infrastructure building programme, especially in relation to the Forth Road Bridge replacement; and many other commitments to projects like the 2014 Commonwealth Games and increased investment in public sector housing."
So, are these accurate forecasts or is there plenty of money to spend on everything we need?
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