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| Cash to extend council tax freeze | Cash to extend council tax freeze |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Scotland's local authorities are to be given funding to freeze council tax for a further year, the Holyrood government has announced. | Scotland's local authorities are to be given funding to freeze council tax for a further year, the Holyrood government has announced. |
| Finance Secretary John Swinney told parliament he was making £70m available for 2009-10 to help councils peg the charges, which were frozen this year. | Finance Secretary John Swinney told parliament he was making £70m available for 2009-10 to help councils peg the charges, which were frozen this year. |
| The 32 councils will be given £11.7bn - an increase of 5.1%. | The 32 councils will be given £11.7bn - an increase of 5.1%. |
| Labour said the announcement featured "smoke and mirrors" - and that cash for frontline services would be minimal. | Labour said the announcement featured "smoke and mirrors" - and that cash for frontline services would be minimal. |
| Mr Swinney told MSPs the funding also included £40m for free personal care, £42m for police and fire service pensions, £18m towards teacher pensions and £12.2m for regeneration. | Mr Swinney told MSPs the funding also included £40m for free personal care, £42m for police and fire service pensions, £18m towards teacher pensions and £12.2m for regeneration. |
| We have already started discussions ... and have future discussions planned Pat WattersCosla "I hope all councils will agree to extend the council tax freeze for a second year to give further support to those most in need," he said. | |
| The Tories warned about complaining of alleged cuts in local government budgets without making clear that the scope for local government increases was limited. | |
| The budget, the Liberal Democrats claimed, showed capital reductions for councils and that the Scottish budget was only 1% different from that announced last year. | |
| The financial settlement will see the budgets of most councils rise in 2009-10, although Edinburgh City will receive a reduced sum, from £931.1m to £877.7m. | |
| Mr Swinney said he was currently considering a bid from the local authority for extra cash to help with the additional costs it incurs as Scotland's capital. | |
| Pat Watters, president of local authority umbrella group Cosla, said: "Whilst there is no arguing that there is more actual money for next year - it is very much for specific purposes. | |
| "That said we strongly welcome Mr Swinney's recognition of the funding pressures facing councils. We have already started discussions on these pressures and have future discussions planned." |