From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
By Paul Homewood
h/t Paul Kolk
Well, Rodney, a conscience is fine, but business is business!!!
Money set aside for restoring nature is to be diverted into funding wage settlements in Scotland’s local authorities.
BBC Scotland News understands that ministers have written to councils telling them to divert the current year’s allocations from the Nature Restoration Fund to settle pay deals.
The fund is worth £29.2m although the cash is split between councils and the Scottish government’s nature agency Nature Scot.
The Scottish government said £5m was being redirected to fund the pay offer but added that it would be replaced in future years.
The Nature Restoration Fund is used to pay for local projects to tackle the nature emergency, ranging from tree planting to restoring waterways.
It is estimated that one in nine species in Scotland is under threat of extinction because of long-term habitat loss and ministers have said restoring biodiversity is “crucial” in tackling the climate crisis.
Last week Finance Secretary Shona Robison said that spending constraints were “unavoidable” because of the “spending challenges” being faced.
‘Desperately bad news’
Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland, said: “It’s extremely frustrating when the small amounts of money which are allocated to climate and nature action come under further pressure.
“Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and it’s really important that we take steps now in order to begin to reverse that.
“Many of the actions that you can take to protect nature also deliver benefits for the public, whether by cutting carbon, cleaner air or helping to reduce flooding.
“So pulling money from this area is just storing up problems for the future.”
Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Greens’ environment spokesman, told BBC Scotland News: “We’re in a climate and nature emergency.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7p2y1p1eo
When even the potty SNP realises there is no Corbynite Magic Money Tree, the Green Loonies really are in trouble!!
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