Sunday January 18th 2026
This View has been written by Caitlin Scott, Scottish Labour Candidate for the Midlothian North Constituency in the Scottish Elections in May.
In this week’s SNP Government budget, the Finance Secretary boasted of a real-terms increase in funding for local councils. The headlines may seem promising, but they mask the reality of continued cuts for our councils.
In the same week, more than 1,700 people signed a petition against Midlothian Council’s planned bin cuts. I’ve had countless people contact me telling me they just simply can’t manage with their bins being collected every 3 weeks. That impact on family life is what underfunding looks like in every street across Midlothian.
Our Council services have endured cumulative cuts of £7.8bn since 2013 under successive SNP governments. And now, heading into 2026/27, Midlothian faces a budget gap of around £2m just to keep services running. Budgets mean that we are bombarded with figures, but the reality of this deficit is simple. Midlothian Council will yet again ask whether it can still afford the bin collections, care services, or libraries our community depends on.
After a record funding settlement from the UK Government last year, Councils could reasonably have expected for it to be passed on by the SNP Government. Instead, it cut the General Capital Grant for Scottish local authorities by 13.1% in real terms. Capital grants pay for school buildings, roads, streetlighting and parks. At the same time, pressure on revenue budgets means everyday services like bins, care provision and school meals are increasingly under threat.
It’s all very well to promise free swimming lessons for children, but if the pools they are meant to learn in are closing, the promise quickly rings hollow. Warm words and eye-catching announcements mean little when the facilities that make them possible are quietly disappearing.
Despite ministerial assurances, pressure on council budgets remains severe. In Midlothian, it is intensified by the fact that we are the fastest-growing local authority in Scotland. More people mean greater demand for services, yet funding continues to fall short.
Proposals to reform Council Tax, including higher bands for higher-value properties, may have potential. But again, the detail is missing, and any new system would not raise revenue until at least 2028. In the meantime, residents pay more while services are cut.
These decisions are not abstract. Bin collections in Midlothian are being reduced to once every three weeks, and as your MSP I will not stand for it. The cuts need reversed. A Scottish Labour government would take a different approach: a fair funding settlement that allows communities to thrive, and not another year of higher taxes and fewer services.
Tweet Share on Facebook
