What is the point of Green MSPs who back cuts to forestry, energy, housing and transport?

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today accused Scottish Green MSPs as being deluded as he questioned why parliamentarians who claim to care about the planet would vote for a budget that contains hundreds of millions of pounds worth of cuts to areas including forestry, sustainable transport and renewable energy.

He highlighted cuts including:

• £189m cut from building new warm and energy efficient homes

• £80m cut from rail services.

• £63m cut from the Future Transport Fund which rolls out electric car chargers, hydrogen and other infrastructure.

• £37.8 cut from the Just Transition Fund – a 76% drop.

• £33.6m cut from funding the energy transition.

• £33.6m cut from Scottish Forestry.

• Almost £10m cut from energy efficiency and decarbonisation.

• £62.9 less for enterprise, trade and investment, cutting the Scottish economy and green start-ups off at the knees.

• £1.1m cut from Scottish Water, making it harder to tackle the 14,000 sewage overflows last year.

• 27% cut from the carbon neutral islands initiative.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Every Green MSP who backs this budget is demonstrating that they care more about nationalism than they do the health of our planet.

“Those MSPs are delusional if they think this budget is a step along the road of tackling the climate emergency. They are lining up to praise a budget which will mean more use of petrol cars, more use of oil and gas and more sewage in our rivers.

“Millions of Scots are concerned that not enough is being done to tackle the climate emergency. What is the point of Green MSPs if they won’t stand up against brutal cuts to funding for electric car infrastructure or woodland planting?

"Scottish Liberal Democrats will stand up for a growing and thriving Scottish economy which generates the tax revenue we need to invest in tackling the climate emergency. Anyone who wants to save the planet should come with us."