[The below article was submitted for publication as Gordon Macdonald's monthly column in the C&B News. The printed version may differ due to C&B News editorial considerations.] C&B News Article – March 2020 The Scottish Government’s Budget is set against the backdrop of heightened uncertainty and risk, created by the UK Government following their decision to delay the UK Budget until March. Discussions with Treasury officials suggested that our Barnett consequential or Block Grant funding changes, should be based on commitments made during the General Election by the Conservative party. On the 11th March the UK Government must now deliver on these promises in full as the Scottish Government
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed an agreement to pass the Scottish Government that will see Edinburgh receive an additional £7.43 million in the next year. The amended budget will also see the Scottish Government take the radical step of introducing free bus travel for those aged 18 and under from January 2021. Police will benefit from a total uplift of £60 million in the next financial year, with £13m of additional investment in frontline services and a further £5m of additional capital investment, on top of the £42m already committed. Commenting, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said, “This SNP budget invests a record £15bn in health and care services, delivers Scotl
SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald has welcomed new figures showing more Edinburgh school leavers are in study, work or training than a decade ago. Across Scotland, a record proportion of young people were in a positive destination three months after leaving school last year. The gap between those from the most and least deprived communities achieving a positive destination the lowest since 2009-10. In Edinburgh, the number of unemployed school leavers seeking work fell from 15% in 2009/10 to 3% in 2018/19. Over the same time period the number of school leavers going directly to higher education rose from 37% to 43%. Commenting, SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald said, “It is very welcome that significantly mo
