Emergency services lose out on extra funding in Scottish Budget

Police Scotland's commanding officer has failed to persuade the Scottish government to provide funding for an extra 850 officers and 348 civilian staff.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell had asked for an additional £33.7m to strengthen frontline policing and modernise the workforce in the face of increasing online harm, gangland violence and public protests.

But the new funding allocation of a record £1,729m for policing falls short of what she said the force needed to "stand still."

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Scottish Prison Service (SPS) also expressed disappointment after receiving less than they had asked for.

The Scottish government said the total funding for the justice sector had increased to £4,616.8m and "strengthens Scotland's commitment to a safer and fairer society."

Police Scotland had argued for the £33.7m as part of an overall increase of £138.6m, in the face of "critical" resource issues, a cost of living crisis, civil unrest, new laws and increasingly complex investigations.

In a statement, Farrell said: "I recognise a £90m cash-terms uplift to revenue funding and an improved capital allocation for policing against a challenging public finance picture.

"Police Scotland will continue to engage with the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish government to understand the full implications of the budget and develop our planning for the year ahead.

"My focus continues to be on prioritising our frontline to deliver safer communities, less crime, and supported victims as part of our vision for policing."

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation - which represents officers up to the rank of chief inspector - said that due to inflation, rising demand and workforce pressures meant that police are being asked to "do more with less".

He said there were already fewer officers on shift, slower response times, and less visible community policing.

"If ministers want a police service that prevents crime, supports victims and responds when communities need it, they must fund policing at the level required - not the level hoped for," he added.

The SFRS had sought an additional £31m of resource funding to avoid further reducing firefighter numbers and £61m of capital funding to repair its stations.

Instead, its budget is going up by £23.8m to £436m.

Chief Officer Stuart Stevens said: "While we welcome additional investment for our service, our capital backlog and increasing running costs remain a significant challenge for our organisation.

"We will now take time to fully analyse and consider the details and begin planning for the next financial year.

"However, we will continue to deliver a reliable, effective service as we work to keep the people of Scotland safe."

John McKenzie, of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), described the budget as "a wasted opportunity" and claimed the government had failed "for the fourth year in a row" to find the investment the service needed.

"While our members will broadly welcome the increase to the resource budget as a small step in the right direction, it is still over £11m short of what the SFRS set out as being required to recruit the new firefighters needed over the next three years," he said.

"With 1,250 firefighter jobs lost since 2013, the resource increase doesn't go far enough to repair the damage these cuts have caused."

McKenzie described the capital budget increase of less than £1.5m as "utterly inadequate" and said it sat against an £818m capital backlog which had left fire stations "not fit for purpose".

He added some were held up by scaffolding and many were without adequate toilets or running water.

McKenzie said: "Overall the proposed budget announced today fails the FBU members who keep our communities safe and are being forced to work under increasingly intolerable conditions."

The budget for the Scottish Prison Service has increased by £124.3m to £1,012.3m.

But that is at least £20m less than it was looking for, as it tries to cope with record levels of overcrowding, build new prisons and repair existing jails.

Chief executive Teresa Medhurst said: "We have operated in a period of sustained operational challenge for many months, with an exceptionally high and complex population putting pressure on all those who live and work in our establishments.

"It is therefore welcome that this budget contains continuing support for HMP Glasgow and HMP Highland, but it's disappointing that it falls short of all the requirements I set out, and we will now take time to consider the details and implications of this."

The government said it was investing £212m in the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, £86.5m in criminal justice social work and £195m in the legal aid system.

But the Law Society of Scotland said the legal aid fund was going up by just 3%, despite "an ongoing crisis in access to justice."

The society's president Patricia Thom said the budget was a "bitter blow for legal aid" and access to justice in Scotland.

She added: "The finance secretary speaks about 'delivery and hope', yet the Scottish government has failed on both counts for people who can't afford the legal help they need.

"We've consistently highlighted the need for substantial reforms and an urgent fees uplift to put the system back on a viable and sustainable footing.

"If the Scottish government cares about access to justice, it cannot afford to ignore this issue until after the election."

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: "We will invest £4.6bn across the justice system in 2026-27 to support frontline services, build safe communities, reduce crime and re-offending and support victims and witnesses.

"This includes record funding of more than £1.7bn for policing, and a further £3m to tackle retail crime to build on its successes in 2025-26; almost £436m for the SFRS and over £1.bn for prisons and community justice."