Aberdeen council bosses will write to the Scottish Government requesting more funds if proposed new healthy eating rules are enforced.
Holyrood is currently consulting on a potential range of new measures including banning multi-deals on junk food and not placing chocolate at checkouts.
But the burden of enforcing these rules would fall on local authorities and yesterday’s public protection committee voted to request “additional financial resources” should the plan come to pass.
There was a heated debate, with the three SNP members of the committee urging that the letter not be sent as the original proposed response already said “additional resources” may be required.
SNP member David Cameron branded the move as “nothing more than a political statement”.
He added: “We are only sticking this in to try and get more political mileage out of the money we receive from the Scottish government.
“I have been a councillor for six-and-a-half years and I must have heard at every committee that we are the lowest funded council.
“We are the lowest funded council and NHS Grampian is the lowest funded health board because of the prosperity that exists in the north-east.”
But Aberdeen Labour member Sarah Duncan pointed the finger at the SNP group for politicking.
She said: “It has been a trend for the Scottish government to add additional duties to local authorities but not provide any additional resource to cover the costs.
“This isn’t party political for me. I think it says more about the councillors opposite that they see this as an attack on their party.”
The vote to send the letter was carried by five votes to three.
