logo
Westminster urged to increase ScotGov borrowing limits by MPs

Westminster urged to increase ScotGov borrowing limits by MPs

Currently, the Government is limited to borrowing £600 million for day-to-day spending and £450 million for capital projects.
A committee of MPs has told the UK Government to look at increasing the Scottish Government 's capital borrowing limits.
But in a report from the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster on the fiscal arrangements north of the border, MPs pushed for the limits to be increased.
The report said: 'At present, the Scottish Government's limited borrowing powers constrain its ability to manage fiscal shocks, as it is only able to borrow for resource purposes to cover forecast errors.
'Capital borrowing limits are currently linked to, and grow in line with, inflation, which may not necessarily be the highest metric of growth.'
It added: 'We agree with the Secretary of State that borrowing limits should be linked to the measure which offers the Scottish Government the highest level of flexibility but, crucially, we note that which metric delivers this remains undetermined.
'The UK Government should therefore publish a transparent analysis of what borrowing limits would look like based on the different metrics advised in the evidence for this inquiry.
'At the next fiscal framework review, we encourage the UK Government to consider reforming the Scottish Government's capital borrowing powers, by automatically coupling borrowing to the metric which offers the highest limit.'
Read More
The report comes at the end of an inquiry by the committee which sought to gauge the effectiveness of the Barnett Formula – the measure which dictates the level of funding the UK Government sends to Scotland every year.
The MPs found the measure was 'fit for purpose', although it is 'imperfect'.
The committee also rejected calls for the formula to shift and provide funding to Scotland based on need.
Scotland, the report said, already receives more funding per head than any other country in the UK and a change in the framework could see funding cut.
In written evidence to the committee, Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison reiterated the Scottish Government's support for full fiscal autonomy – an arrangement which would see powers over tax and spending devolved.
But the committee dismissed such a move as not being a 'realistic prospect'.
'Fundamental questions remain about how full fiscal autonomy would work in practice, and whether it would be operable within the constraints of the UK's current devolution settlement,' the report said.
'Practicality aside, we do not believe that a compelling case has been made that such a change would automatically result in Scotland receiving a higher level of funding.'
Ms Robison declined an invitation to appear before the committee, leading the MPs to say 'do not see how we can consider this a serious proposition, and we remain to be convinced that this proposal is desirable in principle, let alone workable in practice'.
Responding to the report, Ms Robison said: 'This report rightly recognises that Scotland's finances remain largely dictated by the UK Government's spending decisions, irrespective of the impact on Scottish public services.
'That has meant Scotland has been left with a shortfall of £400 million to pay for the Chancellor's national insurance increase, and saw Scotland short-changed by more than a billion pounds over the next three years at the recent spending review.
'The decisions we have taken to ask higher earners to pay a little bit more – while most income tax payers pay less than in the rest of the UK – mean that we can support vital public services and provide free tuition, prescriptions and the Scottish child payment to help tackle child poverty.'
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'The spending review provided the Scottish Government with an extra £9.1 billion, giving them a record settlement.
'People will expect that to deliver better outcomes for Scots – lower NHS waiting lists and better attainment in our schools.
'Spending per head in Scotland is around 20% higher than the rest of the UK thanks to the Barnett formula. This report confirms that it appears to be the position of the Scottish Government to scrap that formula that delivers higher funding – they should explain why they want less money for public services in Scotland.
'Their plans for full fiscal autonomy would mean a £12 billion cut in public spending for Scotland.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Michael O'Leary criticised for ‘drive-by commentary' on Dublin metro
Michael O'Leary criticised for ‘drive-by commentary' on Dublin metro

BreakingNews.ie

time14 minutes ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Michael O'Leary criticised for ‘drive-by commentary' on Dublin metro

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has been criticised for his 'insulting' comments on a metro for Dublin, which he called a 'waste' of taxpayer money. The 18.8km rail line, most of which will be underground, is to run from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of Dublin city centre. Advertisement Various metro projects for the capital have been proposed in recent decades, but none have proceeded to the building stage. On Tuesday, the Government announced that the MetroLink project would get a €2 billion boost in funding as part of the national development plan, in what Taoiseach Micheál Martin said was 'a very definitive commitment to the metro'. While Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe indicated the latest estimated cost for the MetroLink was €11 billion, Mr O'Leary claimed it would cost €20 billion, 'so about a billion a kilometre'. 'Dublin Airport doesn't need it, Dublin Airport passengers won't use it – they're already well-served by buses,' he told RTÉ Radio on Wednesday, while claiming that less than a third of the airport's passengers use buses. Advertisement He said that while the tube in London runs from Heathrow and through 'all of London', the Metro will only serve a section of Dublin city's residents – around 100,000 people, he claimed. 'Here's the madness of this. This thing is going to start at Stephen's Green in the morning. If you want to get to our first wave of departures, which leave at about 6.30 in the morning, you need to be at the airport at 5.30am. 'Are you seriously going to drive into the centre of Stephen's Green, where there's no car parking, to get this metro to get to Dublin Airport for 5.30 in the morning? No, you're not. 'Let me give you the alternative scenario: for €100 million, this year we could buy 400 buses, and 400 buses would provide exactly the same capacity as this metro from Dublin Airport, in through Ballymun, in through Drumcondra, on bus lanes that already exist.' Advertisement He claimed the plan had not been properly costed and hit out at the Government's handling of public finances. 'This Government wasted €330,000 on a bike shed, imagine what they do with an 18-kilometre underground train from an airport?' Micheál Martin announced two billion euro funding for the metro project (Phil Noble/PA) He also criticised comments by Mr Martin, who said the Irish capital will not be sustainable without a metro. 'Does he not understand that the buses actually will all be electrified by the end of this decade, which will actually be greener than light rail?' Advertisement Labour TD Duncan Smith said Mr O'Leary's criticisms of public infrastructure were as sure 'as night follows day'. 'Dubliners are stuck in daily gridlock. MetroLink is their best chance at affordable, reliable transport that serves communities, not corporate profits. 'As a consistent advocate for MetroLink in Swords, I find it insulting to hear this kind of drive-by commentary from someone who clearly doesn't rely on public transport to get to work. 'Dublin deserves better than a transport plan from a billionaire whose only experience with buses is when he is pretending to be one.' Advertisement When asked about his endorsement of Enterprise Minister Peter Burke and junior minister Robert Troy during the general election campaign, Mr O'Leary claimed 'they're not in government' and criticised Mr Martin again. 'I endorsed Peter Burke, who actually topped the poll despite the criticism. I also endorsed Robert Troy – and they're not the government.'

Sir Sadiq Khan calls on ministers to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood
Sir Sadiq Khan calls on ministers to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood

Powys County Times

time17 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

Sir Sadiq Khan calls on ministers to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood

Sir Sadiq Khan has piled pressure on the Government over Israel as he called on ministers to 'immediately recognise Palestinian statehood'. The Mayor of London said that the UK 'must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing', as aid groups have warned of starvation in the Gaza Strip. It comes as the Archbishop of York labelled the situation in Gaza a 'a stain on the conscience of the international community'. More than 100 organisations including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children have put their names to an open letter in which they said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away'. 'The government of Israel's restrictions, delays and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation and death,' the letter said. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Labour mayor Sir Sadiq said pointed to 'starving children searching hopelessly for food in the rubble' and 'family members being shot dead by Israeli soldiers as they search for aid'. 'The international community – including our own Government – must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing and let vital life saving aid in,' he added. Sir Sadiq went on: 'The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.' Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said that the mayor should 'should spend less time trying to play on the world stage' and 'focus on fixing his own mess in the capital'. Meanwhile the current most senior bishop in the Church of England has branded the infliction of 'violence, starvation and dehumanisation' on the people of Gaza by the Israeli government 'depraved and unconscionable'. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell welcomed the UK and other nations' recent condemnation of the Israeli and US-backed current aid delivery model, which has reportedly resulted in Israel Defence Forces troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions, but insisted there is 'no time to wait' for further action to be taken to 'stop this ongoing assault on Gaza'. He said: 'With each passing day in Gaza, the violence, starvation and dehumanisation being inflicted on the civilian population by the government of Israel becomes more depraved and unconscionable. 'In the name of God, I cry out against this barbaric assault on human life and dignity. It is a stain on the conscience of the international community, and a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law.' He repeated his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and said he rejected 'any policy that would amount to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population from Gaza'. World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that people in Gaza are facing 'yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets: starvation'. In a post on X on Wednesday evening, Dr Tedros said that Health Secretary Wes Streeting had 'reach[ed] out' and expressed 'support for WHO colleagues in Gaza'. In response, Mr Streeting said that 'we stand with healthcare workers in Gaza who are doing lifesaving work in most unimaginably challenging and horrific circumstances'. We stand with healthcare workers in Gaza who are doing lifesaving work in most unimaginably challenging and horrific circumstances. Tedros and his team have my full support. — Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) July 23, 2025 On Tuesday, Mr Streeting called for recognition of Palestine 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. Speaking in the House of Commons, the Health Secretary described Israel's attacks on healthcare workers as going 'well beyond legitimate self-defence'. He told MPs he hopes 'that the international community can come together, as the Foreign Secretary has been driving towards, to make sure that we see an end to this war, but also the recognition of the state of Palestine while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has hinted that Israel could face further sanctions from the UK if it does not agree to a ceasefire. The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine. — Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) July 23, 2025 Asked by ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday what more he planned to do if Israel did not agree to end the conflict, the Foreign Secretary replied: 'Well, we've announced a raft of sanctions over the last few months. 'There will be more, clearly, and we keep all of those options under consideration if we do not see a change in behaviour and the suffering that we are seeing come to an end.' Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people.

House prices across West Lothian have risen by 74% in a decade
House prices across West Lothian have risen by 74% in a decade

Edinburgh Reporter

timean hour ago

  • Edinburgh Reporter

House prices across West Lothian have risen by 74% in a decade

House prices across West Lothian rose by 74% in a decade a new council survey has revealed. That outstripped the Scottish average rise of 42% in the years 2013-23. In 2023 the average house price in the county was £210,000 compared to a Scottish figure of £185,000. A report to councillors said: 'West Lothian ranks 10th of Scottish local authorities for house prices; however, it is notably cheaper than the other regions surrounding Edinburgh such as Midlothian and East Lothian, making it a more affordable option for Edinburgh based commuters.' Average house prices in West Lothian range from £229,475 in Linlithgow to £145,000 in Whitburn and Blackburn. The largest increase in house prices have been around Broxburn, Winchburgh and Livingston all of which have seen major new developments in the last 12 years. The change over the decade has been striking. The largest price increases have been in Broxburn and Livingston South wards where house prices have risen £95,000 in the ten years from 2013 to 2023. The smallest rise – £18,585- has been in Bathgate, where prices rose from an average of £128,998 to £147,595 in a decade. New homes are now at their most affordable in the Armadale and Blackridge and Whitburn and Blackburn wards at £179,000 and £145,000 respectively. In 2013 the average cost of a new home in the Whitburn ward was just £86,000. Whitburn and Blackburn is the only ward area which saw a fall in the numbers of new homes being built. Infrastructure improvement including reopened railway stations such as Armadale has helped boost housebuilding in the town along with neighbouring Blackridge where developers see potential for competitively priced homes. The former brickworks site in Armadale is one of the largest brownfield sites in the county earmarked for redevelopment. The council's Business Development Team relied on Scottish Government statistics to provide a picture of the economic and financial health of the county as the basis for its draft economic investment plan which looks to 2035. By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store