From the Guardian today:
MPs have expressed concern that local authorities in England are failing to pass on government funding for free childcare places to nurseries, after research showed councils were holding back millions of pounds to offset deficits or add to reserves.
Freedom of information requests submitted by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) revealed that more than 90 of the 150 local education authorities that responded underspent to the tune of almost £46m in total last year.
Fifteen LEAs underspent by at least £1m each, while five of those underspent by a similar amount in two of the previous three years. The NDNA calculated that over the past four years there had been a £229m underspend of funds intended for providers of free childcare.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/may/10/english-councils-holding-back-millions-of-pounds-of-free-childcare-funds
So, 90 local councils in England used taxpayer money from central government, that was only to be used to provide free childcare, to offset deficits due to their mismanagement of other funds and/or simply to tuck away in their savings.
Where is the fraud squad? Where is the tent on the grass? Where are the police vans? Where are the officers confiscating lady razors and wheelbarrows?
Remind me what did the SNP do to earn the above reaction? They may have used funds raised from members for a campaign but instead used it for something else.
What the councils did, unethical maybe, was not illegal but just ‘viring’ between budgets. All big organisations do it. Why only when the SNP do it, is it ‘fraud?’
The Guardian does not tell us which of these councils was Conservative-led.
Talking-up Scotland 
Funny how that’s never plastered all over the evening news. Anything SNP seems to make the National as well as local news nowadays.
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Except when it’s positive….
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Did South Lanarkshire Council not do the same with the money supplied by the SG for classroom assistants making them redundant instead?
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Be interesting to know, also who runs that council?
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I think it was North Lanarkshire Council. They had a tantrum because money from the SG via the Pupil Equity Fund was paid directly to schools to help close the attainment gap. NL wanted it paid too them so took it out on the teaching assistants.
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Withholding funding for nursery provision is a disgrace, I bet those English councils are wasting public money on vanity projects at the same time.
Since the Labour and Tory parties’ coalition (to keep the majority party, the SNP out) took over Edinburgh council last year, there has been a ridiculous amount of road blocks, barriers are put up, traffic is jammed or diverted, and there is most often no clear evidence as to why this is happening. No reason given either, but those being handed the contracts for the traffic ‘management’ and sometimes digging up the roads or pavements, leaving a wee hole for no apparent reason, must be raking it in. I take photos, not a yellow jacket in sight, just traffic chaos for no obvious reason, days later, barriers are removed. I sense someone’s taking the Mickey out of Edinburgh, wasting money, and doing nothing that is good to show for it.
Councils are more powerful than people think, and we need to keep an eye on how they spend public money. They can for example, ruin lives by not funding special needs in schools, and ruin a city by mismanaging public funds etc.
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The unionist councils in Scotland did try this before. The Scottish Gov ring fenced the payments so the funds had to be spent on education. The unionists council could not divert the funds given for education to pay for other nonsense and wasted. The unionists councils wast £Billions and then try to demand more for grotesque projects of no value. Totally against the taxpayers wishes. These councils are totally wasteful, useless enterprises. Squandering the public purse with no responsibility or authority. More people should get out and vote and vote out the unionists. STV introduced to keep these illegal Unionist alliances going.
The unionist councils were given extra monies to keep class sizes. Instead of employing more teachers to keep class sizes down. They employed untrained classroom assistants. They did not keep class sizes down. They have little training .No training in additional needs. The additional needs provision has been cut by unionist councils. Additional needs training helps all teachers and pupils. To help the whole school and communities. The unionist councils do not build more school when necessary. They wait until new houses are built before building enough schools. Putting pressure on existing school creating over crowding in many places.
Scotland still has one of the best education system in the world. The Scottish Gov and people are committed to it. Life long learning, apprenticeships, colleges,unis. The highest pro rata uni educated in the world. More the Canada the next 56%.
If Scotland was Independent more money could be spent on Education. Instead of illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion. £Hillions wasted by Westminster on Brexit. Monies which could be better spent in Scotland. On education, heakthcare and welfare etc. Scotland loses £Billions wasted to Westminster poor, bad decisions.
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