8 Feb 2013

SNP Budget Cuts £50 Million from Scotland's Colleges

Responding to John Swinney's budget announcement regarding college funding, Scottish Labour's Hugh Henry MSP, said:

“This budget fails to reverse the SNP’s cuts to our colleges.

“Over the next two years, the college budget will be cut by £50 million.

“NUS Scotland has already said that the SNP budget isn’t good enough. The savage cuts under the SNP will continue to deny thousands of Scots the chance to train for a new job at a time of an unacceptable level of unemployment.

“Behind all the SNP spin, there will still be fewer lecturers, fewer places, fewer courses and fewer opportunities for hard-pressed Scots who are wanting to improve their opportunities.

“Like so many other parts of this budget, the SNP has failed to meet the economic challenges that face Scotland today. Instead, they simply rely on the promise of what Scotland would look like in 2016 after voting for separation. Instead of blaming everyone else and shirking responsibility for the hard choices of government, the SNP had the chance to make a difference today. They have failed to listen to the thousands of Scots who asked them to change their mind. Scots will be the losers from John Swinney’s decision today.”