The Scottish National Party has been accused of backtracking on election promises, following the announcement of last week's budget. COSLA welcomed a deal with the Scottish Government which would see council tax frozen for three years at a cost of £210m, but Labour finance spokesman, Iain Gray, said it would mean cuts to schools, enterprise and energy budgets. ‘The SNP promised many things which would happen by 2011, including 1,000 more police, smaller class sizes and student debt written off,' said Mr Gray. ‘John Swinney [finance minister] has now admitted not one of these pledges will be met. This is a budget of broken promises.' Liberal Democrat shadow education secretary, Jeremy Purvis, described the SNP Government's budget as ‘deception, spin and half truths', and shadow justice secretary, Margaret Smith, said the budget was full of ‘sham promises and shifty auditing'. But Mr Swinney said the budget was designed to create a more successful Scotland. ‘This budget puts the interests of Scotland first,' he said. ‘We are delivering our pledges by governing creatively, innovatively, prudently and well.' COSLA described the budget as ‘the start of a new relationship' between central and local government. ‘While today's budget, in terms of cash, is not brilliant COSLA believes that it is the best deal which can be delivered at the moment,' said president, Pat Watters. ‘We have to see the cash element in the context of greater flexibility and greater responsibility for local government.'
