Labour urged to walk away from Edinburgh coalition with SNP rather than accept 'collusion' in austerity cuts

A FORMER Labour council candidate has called for the party to walk out of its coalition with the SNP in the Capital rather than continue in “collusion with austerity cuts”.

Bruce Whitehead claimed Labour had failed to learn the lesson of its defeat at the last council elections which followed the first five years of partnership with the SNP.

Writing in today’s Evening News, Mr Whitehead - who stood in Almond ward in the last council elections - says he was “dismayed” that Labour voted along with the SNP last week for £9 million of cuts in health and social care.

He continues: “I argued before the 2017 Edinburgh elections that we should leave the coalition, since as the larger ruling group, we were getting all the blame for these cuts. Instead we stuck to the strategy.

“The 2017 council election result? We became the junior partner. Voters saw our collusion in cuts, and punished us severely for it. And then we continued with our support for the SNP’s cuts as before. When will we learn?”

Mr Whitehead said many in the party believed they should leave the coalition “well before” the next elections in 2022.

“The SNP could form a minority administration with Greens and Lib Dems. We could support it on a confidence and supply basis, retaining the independence to oppose non-socialist policies.”

There has been opposition within Labour to the coalition ever since it was formed. Labour councillors are believed to have approved the deal by eight votes to three and several local Labour parties passed critical resolutions.

One insider said the unease among party activists about Labour supporting the SNP in making cuts “has not abated”.

“All the constituency Labour parties have raised concerns at various times, but they have always been deflected.

“Quite a few people feel we should walk away from the coalition. People were critical of the health and social care cuts, but they didn’t say what the alternative would be.”

Labour group leader and depute council leader Cammy Day said all members of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, which runs health and social care services in the Capital, had voted through the budget proposals, which had been drawn up “In the light of the conrtinued erosion of local government funding and the continued underfunding since their inception if IJBs across Scotland”.

He said: “People’s anger should be directed at the governments that underfund local authorities and IJBs.

“Either you make responsible decisions as best you can or you let other parties, like right-wing parties, take over the running of the council and allow right-wing agendas to influence privatisation, compulsory redundancies and difficult or no relationships with the trade unions. All these issues are things we’re standing up for as part of the coalition.

“The council’s hands are tied with a limited and constrained budget and continued pressure on areas like health and social care and schools - and no matter who was in charge of the council they would have to find the same levels of cuts and savings. but some people just don’t want to hear that.

“None of us want to make these cuts but our hand is forced by the continued underfunding of local government and the IJBs by both the governments.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director