Cole-Hamilton announces budget deal with additional funding for drug services, care and offshore wind

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today announced that his party has secured additional funding for drug and neonatal services to help babies born addicted to drugs, alongside investment in new college programmes focused on delivering the workers needed in the care and offshore wind sectors, and as a result a deal has been reached which will see his party back the Scottish Budget.

It will deliver Scottish Liberal Democrat priorities:

• Further investment in drugs and neonatal services totalling £2.6m, with a special focus on creating new services to help babies who are born addicted to drugs.
• £3.5m so that colleges can deliver the skills our economy and public services need, with new programmes focused on care and offshore wind to create a pipeline of skilled workers.
• Allocating in the budget £700k worth of support for the young people with complex and additional needs attending Corseford College in Renfrewshire, and at least the same amount again the next year.
• £1m more for hospices.
• Ahead of the Infrastructure Investment Plan, the party has persuaded the Scottish Government to look much more closely at replacing the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick, Kilmaron Special School in Cupar and Newburgh Railway Station in Fife.
• Focusing ScotWind revenues on growing the economy, creating jobs, tackling climate change, and driving forward reform.

This is all on top of what Scottish Liberal Democrats secured in the first rounds of talks:

• The reinstatement of a winter heating payment for pensioners.
• Extra funding for social care.
• Additional funding for local healthcare to make it easier to see a GP or NHS dentist.
• Funding for new specialist support across the country for Long Covid, ME, Chronic Fatigue and other similar conditions.
• The right for family carers to earn more without having support withdrawn.
• Progress on business rates relief for the hospitality sector.
• Funding to build more affordable homes.
• Ringfenced agriculture funding.
• More money for local council services.
• Enhanced support for local authorities operating ferry services.
• More money for additional support needs to help pupils and their teachers.
• Replacements for the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion and the Belford Hospital in Fort William.

Commenting on the deal, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“We have today reached an agreement with the Scottish Government. There is a long list of policies and projects that we’ve won for our constituents, and for Scotland as a whole, and so we will be voting for the Budget.

“In a Parliament of minorities Scottish Liberal Democrats will always act responsibly and try to find common ground.

“As a result, Lib Dem priorities will now be backed by hundreds of millions worth of government investment. I am pleased that we have secured money for new drug and neonatal services. As a former youth worker I know how important it is to give children the best start in life and few have it tougher than babies who are born addicted to drugs.

“Alongside the long list of Lib Dem demands baked into the first draft of the budget, we have also secured additional money for new college programmes focused on care and offshore wind, more money for hospices, and backing for the young people attending Corseford College.

“Scottish Labour’s decision to abstain on the Scottish Budget confirmed once and for all that there would be no early election. This was always very unlikely and that’s why all along Scottish Liberal Democrats have sought to shape the budget to unpick some of the damage caused by years of SNP neglect.

“This budget shows that by backing the Liberal Democrats you get a local champion focused on the issues that matter the most.”