London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Scottish government to make £500m in spending cuts

Scottish government to make £500m in spending cuts

Public sector pay demands, help for displaced Ukrainians and rising inflation have put "enormous strain" on Scotland's budget, MSPs have been told.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said that £500m in cuts had been identified in order to ease the pressure.

He said a lack of borrowing and an inability to vary income tax rates outside the normal budgetary timetable had left him with "no other choice".

Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said cash for another referendum appeared intact.

In a statement in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney set out reductions to planned spending and forecasts which included:

* £53m in the budget for employability schemes

* utilising funding of £56m generated by the ScotWind clearing process

* £33m of ring-fend agricultural funds

* a reduction of £37m in the budget for concessionary fares

Mr Swinney said these decisions were not ones the government would have wanted to make.

But he added that it was important that the scale of the challenge was clearly understood, particularly by anyone negotiating further pay deals.

He told MSPs: "These individual savings are small amounts in themselves, but together they add up to a significant reduction in expenditure, enabling that money to be invested in addressing the financial challenges we face."

Council workers took industrial action over pay


The Scottish government has been looking at how it can ease the cost-of-living crisis.

On Tuesday, in her first big statement of the new parliamentary year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a rents freeze, a rail fare freeze and a rise in the Scottish Child Payment.

She warned that her government faced "hard choices" in how those policies were paid for, with an emergency budget review being carried out.

Ms Sturgeon said it would mean "stopping some things we planned to do, to fund what is essential to support people through this crisis".

Bus industry concerns


Paul White, director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Scotland - a trade association representing bus and coach companies - raised concerns about the forecasted £37m reduction in the budget for concessionary fares.

He said: "The concessionary budget is evidence-based and calculated to fairly reimburse bus operators for carrying concessionary passengers.

"Any budget cut that compromises that commitment undermines the principles of the scheme.

"If there is a possible £37m saving within this year's concessions budget I would ask why that hasn't been used to insulate bus passengers from the cost of living crisis by continuing the enhanced bus network support grant beyond October."

After Mr Swinney detailed some of those cuts on Wednesday, Tory MSP Mr Briggs said it was "astonishing" that the cash earmarked for an independence referendum had "somehow escaped John Swinney's axe".

"Talk about skewed, self-serving priorities," he said.

"People up and down Scotland, who will bear the brunt, will rightly be furious that no matter how deep the cuts bite, the SNP will always safeguard spending on their pet obsession - a divisive constitutional vote that most Scots don't even want.

"It's also shamelessly predictable that the deputy first minister - like Nicola Sturgeon 24 hours earlier - continues to peddle the line that the SNP is providing £3bn in support to help people cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

"Independent analysis has shown that less than one-sixth of this is new money, so ministers need to stop misleading hard-pressed Scots."


John Swinney announced £500m worth of reductions in planned spending and forecasting.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
×