Key role of peak fares in Scottish Budget

Green MSPs have vowed to press the SNP government to reverse its decision to bring back peak rail fares.

Speaking at the Scottish Greens’ conference on October 26, co-leader Patrick Harvie said peak fares “punish workers and students” and that “exorbitant prices” were “not the actions of a government that is serious about climate action”.

Because the SNP lacks an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament, it will be unable to pass its proposed budget in December unless it gets support from another party. Since 2016, it has always been the Greens which have lent their votes to get the budget over the line.

The budget will depend on the “Barnett consequentials” allotted to Scotland as a result of spending in the UK Budget.

This year, the Scottish Government will be allocated an additional £2.8 billion for day-to-day spending and £610 million for capital investment.

Scottish ministers can spend this money how they wish, but First Minister John Swinney has drawn attention to the negative result of the real-term cut in Department for Transport spending at Westminster.

SNP Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has already written to Finance Secretary Shona Robison, who will deliver the Scottish budget, appearing to suggest there was no more room for further cuts.

She said transport had been “carrying a significant resource deficit since Budget 2024-25, and as such the portfolio has been operating within an emergency control environment since then”