SNP public transport chief blasts Humza Yousaf Government over 'dreadful' cuts Budget

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The SNP leader of the country’s biggest transport body has accused the Government of a “dreadful” and “unacceptable” budget plan.Councillor Stephen Dornan, chair of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, said general capital support had been reduced to “zero” for his organisation.In a leaked letter, he said the cuts “simply cannot be permitted to happen”.First Minister Humza Yousaf is under severe pressure over a Budget built on tax rises and massive spending cuts in key areas.Attention has shifted to the scale of the cuts for public transport in light of the Government’s commitment to tackling climate change.SPT is a regional transport body covering twelve councils and millions of Scots.In his letter to SPT members, Dornan, an SNP councillor in Glasgow, let rip at Scottish GovernmentHe wrote: “We all knew the mood music for funding was trailing a pretty bleak picture, however, I am appalled at the lack of investment being made available to SPT to continue to deliver on public transport improvements across the region.

Today’s decision has also been made without any prior discussion to understand the consequences.”Dornan added: “A decision has been taken at this stage to reduce the level of general capital support to SPT to zero.”He said this support funds tunnel integrity, engineering works, bus stations, stops and shelters, as well as active travel projects:“The long and short of this is that despite statements of commitment to public transport, no resources are being made available to SPT to support public transport infrastructure across the whole of the region.“This is simply an unacceptable position."He also said the cuts would have a direct impact on the revamp of the Glasgow Subway:“Despite previous commitments to