LABOUR CHALLENGED TO SUPPORT CALL FOR £350m FUNDING TO HELP AFFORDABLE HOUSING

LABOUR CHALLENGED TO SUPPORT CALL FOR £350m FUNDING TO HELP AFFORDABLE HOUSING

MORE DODGY CLAIMS FROM LABOUR

EVEN LABOUR COUNCILS BOAST ABOUT POPULAR COUNCIL TAX FREEZE

SNP MSP Bob Doris - a member of the Scottish Parliament's Local Government Committee - has called on Labour MSPs to support the

Scottish Government's call for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to release £350 million in accelerated capital funding in the upcoming

budget to HELP invest in the construction of affordable housing.

His calls follows the distribution of a misleading document to councils by Labour MSP Johann Lamont on affordable housing capital.

Commenting Mr Doris said:

"The real issue on capital funding for affordable housing is whether Labour are going to support the SNP Government's call for £350 million to be made available from accelerated capital funding.

"Ms Lamont may like to treat councils and others as idiots but they well know that last year's funding was accelerated funding brought forward from this year to avert an even more devastating recession.

"She may like to pretend she and her party did not support that but the record says otherwise.

"What she should be doing is instead of spreading dodgy dossiers she should be telling us if she supports the SNP's call to the Chancellor for £350 million in accelerated capital funding and if she will support that being spent to boost affordable housing.

"That will be an indication of real commitment to affordable house building - not hypocritical attempts to try and pretend there was no Labour recession."

Mr Doris also took her to task for her comments on the Council Tax freeze. Mr Doris said:

"What a pity for Ms Lamont that her apparent opposition to a council tax freeze isn't matched by her party. In fact Labour councillors

supported freezing the council tax even before the SNP came into Government.

"Again she is being quite untruthful. It would be illegal for the Scottish Government to impose a Council Tax freeze on councils. The

Scottish Government has simply offered a financial incentive. If that were so unpopular why has every Labour-run council in Scotland backed

a freeze?

"In fact why are Ms Lamont's party in London boasting about a Council Tax freeze in their latest leaflet?

"Again we see another example of why no one can believe a word Labour say or write in dodgy dossiers'."