For immediate release:

UK GOVERNMENT TAX PLANS COULD MEAN £62 MILLION CUT FROM NHS LANARKSHIRE

UK Government tax proposals could mean cuts of up to £61.9m from the NHS in Lanarkshire, according to new Scottish Government analysis.

With the Scottish Parliament set to vote on Stage 1 of the budget this month, the Tories are proposing tax cuts for high earners that would leave a “£500 million hole” in the budget. With health receiving the largest share of devolved spending, a £500 million fall in available spending would see the NHS in the firing line.

Commenting, Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey said:

“Under the Scottish Government, the NHS has record staffing and record funding – and the draft budget would see that funding increased. But this investment is only possible because of the decisions taken by the Scottish Government, with progressive policies seeing higher earnings paying slightly more to support public services.

“The UK Government tax plans would blow a £500 million hole in our budget – and that’s on top of a decade of UK government austerity.

“That would risk valuable public services across Lanarkshire, including the NHS – and would be equivalent to cutting 1482 nurses in the region – and the UK Government should explain why they’d prefer to give a handout to millionaires than to fund our hospitals.

“As a registered mental health nurse myself, I truly believe that our NHS is best in the hands of the Scottish Government.”

ENDS

Notes:

Territorial Board £501 million reduction Equivalent number of nurses
£m
Ayrshire and Arran -37.1 888
Borders -10.5 251
Dumfries and Galloway -14.9 356
Fife -34.1 816
Forth Valley -27.2 651
Grampian -49.5 1185
Greater Glasgow & Clyde -111.9 2680
Highland -32.3 773
Lanarkshire -61.9 1482
Lothian -74.2 1777
Orkney -2.4 57
Shetland -2.5 59
Tayside -39.3 941
Western Isles -3.3 79

Total -501.0 12000

Date published: 16th January 2018