Liberal Democrats are calling on the SNP Government to reverse the growth in Government civil service jobs they have presided over since 2007 and cut back on big bonuses paid to quango bosses.

Liberal Democrat Finance spokesperson Jeremy Purvis is also calling on Ministers to fund Scottish Water more efficiently, freeing up hundreds of millions of pounds over the next two years and cut out wasteful SNP vanity projects.

Commenting ahead of the publication of the draft Budget, Mr Purvis said:

“Everyone knows that this year and next year’s budgets will be challenging.

“But, the real challenge for the SNP will be to do things differently rather than always blaming someone else.

“We told them in the spring that they needed to stop the growth in civil service. We challenged the SNP on quango bosses’ pay and the need to cut it.

“We voted against free school meals for rich kids. We told the SNP there would be consequences to their free prescriptions policy.

“Now we need the SNP to change the way it funds Scottish Water. We don’t need to wait for mutualisation, this can be done now, saving hundreds of millions of pounds.

“Taken all together we know that with action by this government in this budget and the next they can save hundreds of millions of pounds. That should protect frontline services and support for the poorest and the elderly and it’s enough to stop a lost generation of young people ending up on the scrap heap.

“We will work with the Government if they are serious about action. They need to make the kind of choices that create a budget that ensures young people leaving school in the years ahead have a positive future. Previous recessions have created a lost generation of young people.

“This budget needs to be crystal clear that it will switch money from the SNP’s extra civil servants and quango bosses towards new chances for young people to build a long term recovery from recession.”

Ends.