TORY TAX PLANS COULD MEAN £37.1 MILLION CUT TO AYRSHIRE & ARRAN NHS

Tory tax proposals could mean cuts of up to £37.1 million to NHS Ayrshire & Arran, 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 – and NHS Ayrshire & Arran could lose up to £37.1 million.

Commenting, SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, said:

“Under the SNP, 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 Tory 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 in Cunninghame South including the NHS – and would be equivalent to cutting 888 nurses in the region. The Tories should explain why they’d prefer to give a handout to millionaires than to fund our hospitals.”