Wednesday January 28th 2026
Scottish Labour candidate for Midlothian North, Caitlin Stott
This View has been written by Caitlin Stott, Scottish Labour Candidate for the Midlothian North Constituency in the Scottish Elections in May.
The damage being done to local services in Midlothian is not a symptom of inevitable decline. It is the direct result of political choices made by an SNP Government and carried out by an SNP-run council. Year after year, budgets have been set that pass on cuts, pressure and waste straight on to our communities, while elected representatives avoid accountability.
An MSP for Midlothian should be a champion for Midlothian, not a mouthpiece for party decisions. That means fighting for the funding our area needs to run schools properly, support vulnerable families, provide social care with dignity, and build the infrastructure our growing population desperately requires. It means fighting to make sure that Midlothian doesn’t suffer the highest council tax rises in Scotland, while watching services relentlessly eroded. I believe in the power of local government to improve lives, and as MSP I’d work every day to ensure that is exactly what Midlothian Council does do. I wouldn’t spend my time writing letters, or defending decisions taken elsewhere. I’d challenge them, loudly and relentlessly, when they fail the people I represent.
In Midlothian, the impact of these decisions is no longer abstract. Parents see it when their kids don’t get the teachers they need, in school buildings that they can’t trust to keep them safe. Families experience it when social care services they rely on can’t give them the care their loved ones desperately need. We all feel it when we are asked, again and again, to pay more for less, while reserves are run down simply to keep services going. These are the real-life consequences of political choices, not unavoidable facts.
What makes this worse is that Midlothian is actively penalised for growing. Funding is taken away and redistributed elsewhere using outdated formulas that ignore current demand. Money that should be supporting classrooms, social care and local services is stripped out, while residents are told higher council tax is the only answer.
For 18 years, SNP councils have passed on cuts from an SNP Government, protecting ministers while communities suffer. Too many SNP MSPs act as messengers rather than advocates, putting party loyalty ahead of the constituency.
Midlothian needs something different. A strong voice at the heart of a Scottish Labour Government — prepared to stand up, speak out, and fight for fair funding. Our communities deserve nothing less.
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