TAKE money from Scotland and give it to Bury schools!

That's what the borough's Liberal Democrats want, with another year of big education cuts on the horizon.

They say that devolution north of Hadrian's Wall shows that the Scots do not need the 20 per cent extra cash they receive.

Coun Wilf Davison asked the council on Wednesday (November 5) to call on the Government to reduce Scotland's subsidies and give the money to English councils instead.

He said this was not an attack on Scotland: in fact, they were to be congratulated on using subsidies to help build a vibrant economy.

"There was an overwhelming vote on devolution to run their own affairs, and quite rightly so. That's an indication of how confident Scotland feels about its future," he said.

"But devolution and freedom comes with a price: to forego some of the subsidies it receives from the UK.

"It seems anachronistic to keep a formula which is no longer required."

But Labour's finance chairman, Coun Steve Perkins, said Bury's main job was to get fair treatment through a shake-up of the Government's funding formula.

"There are parts of Scotland that deserve to get subsidised funding, like the inner cities," he said.

"But this is about supporting equity rather than taking a specific case like Scotland. I would see the South East of England as a far greater problem."

And education chairman Coun David Ryder said singling out Scotland would just dilute the borough's case.

"Our campaign just talks about Bury and the difficulties it has got. This would distract from the essential point that we must have fair funding for Bury."

The motion was overwhelming defeated by Labour, with only the two Lib Dems in favour and the four-strong Tory group abstaining.

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