17th April 2008
Churches and Voluntary Groups Saved as
Government Caves in to Water Pressure
The Scottish Government has conceded to
Labour demands in the Scottish Parliament that the water rate exemption for the
charity and voluntary sector - introduced by Labour - should continue after
2010.
The
SNP government tabled an amendment to a Labour motion to be debated today
(Thursday) which concedes that the exemption should be extended.
The
move was welcomed by MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde MSP, Duncan McNeil, who has
been campaigning for the extension on behalf of local churches which would have
been hit particularly hard.
“This
is a major victory for the voluntary sector.
They are already being squeezed by the SNP Government’s cuts and were
rightly concerned that these crippling water charges would have been another
nail in their coffin,” he told the Telegraph.
“Now,
though, we need to see the details of what the government proposes in terms of
extensions to the scheme.
“We
made a submission on this to the government’s consultation and I have been
pressing, along with local organisations, for the exemption for the charitable
and voluntary sector to continue. I
am delighted that the government has finally seen sense.”
ENDS
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