Published: Tuesday, 29th June, 2010 2:44pm

MSP: Finance summit was a publicity stunt

THIS week's so-called cross-party summit on public finances in the Borders has been ridiculed by South of Scotland SNP MSP Christine Grahame who has branded the meeting a "stunt".

She claims the meeting organised by Liberal Democrat MP Michael Moore and, party colleague, MSP Jeremy Purvis, was a drop in the ocean compared to the tidal wave of spending cuts about to be made by their own party in cahoots with the Tories at Westminster.

Monday's event in Galashiels was supposed to address the state of public finances in the Borders, and how to maintain high standards of service in the context of cuts in public expenditure.

But according to Ms. Grahame: "Surely such a situation provides the perfect Mission Impossible scenario for a region already beset by low wages and recent job losses in traditional industries. The last thing we need in the Borders are damaging reductions in our public services. But that is exactly what Mr. Moore and his Cabinet colleagues are about to deliver.

"For Mr Moore and his colleague Jeremy Purvis to maintain that good quality services can continue to be delivered after budgets north of the border are decimated by the UK coalition Government is plainly ridiculous. I'm sure no matter how many summits they hold our local Lib Dems and their Tory partners will not be able to fool the Borders public. Their policies pose the biggest threat to local jobs and investment in decades."

But Mr Purvis said: Purvis said: "Yesterday's summit saw over 40 leaders from public and private agencies come together and focused on a joined-up approach to finance and budgeting. There is already innovative thinking going on in the Borders with the New Ways partnership, but the pressure on budgets means that this must be taken to a new level."