Tuesday November 4th 2025
Kirsty McNeill MP, Scottish Labour Candidate for Midlothian North Caitlin Stott and Anas Sarwar MP
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Scottish Labour Candidate for Midlothian North Caitlin Stott has said a report by the Auditor General for Scotland has found that the SNP Government has left one billion of public funds unspent, as public services in Midlothian North are suffering from an acute lack of funding, with SNP Midlothian Council reporting a £9.4 million budget gap for 2025/26, projected to grow to £20.6 million by 2028/29.
Caitlin Stott said:
“It’s staggering to think of the scale of financial mismanagement from this SNP Government. Despite receiving a record budget settlement from the UK Government, it has chosen to leave £1bn unspent, despite Councils across the country cutting services that might have been helped by the missing billion.
“A billion pounds could have bought 30 new primary schools, or more than 27,000 nurses. But instead, it’s been poured down the drain by this tired and dysfunctional SNP Government. It’s time for a new direction with Scottish Labour.”
Scottish Labour candidate Caitlin Stott formally launched her campaign for the Scottish Parliamentary election on Sunday 2 November in Bonnyrigg with Kirsty McNeill MP, Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar, and a large number of local campaigners and activists. Caitlin Stott emphasised the importance of world class public services in the. area at the launch:
“I’m a mum, and I use the same services as everyone else, so I get just as fed up when they’re not working. I’ll spend my time in Holyrood working hard to get the best deal for people in Midlothian and helping it live up to its potential to be the best place in Scotland to live”
Speaking at the event, Kirsty McNeill MP said:
“The SNP has left £1 billion unspent while frontline services struggle.
“The truth is the SNP cannot be trusted with your money and we cannot afford a third decade of this financial mismanagement. With great new MSPs like Caitlin Stott in Holyrood, a Scottish Labour government will treat public money with respect and end the SNP’s shambolic approach to budgeting before it does any more damage.”
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