A long and angry debate on Conservative and DUP deal in Westminster broke out in the city council chambers yesterday.
The opposition SNP group called on the finance committee to back its call to condemn the “£1billion bung” given by the Tories to infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland secure the support of the country’s DUP in the commons.
The amendment further requested that council chief executive write to Scottish Secretary David Mundell and local MPs asking them to “seek their support to ensure similar funding would be secured that would relieve the Tory austerity being imposed on the remainder of Scotland, England and Wales”.
The nationalists claimed that if the £1billion had gone through the Barnett formula, which provides funding to the different countries of the UK, then £2.9billion should be handed to Scotland- equating to £122million.
But the Conservative led administration rounded on the SNP accusing them of “petty politicking” and querying what effect the letter would actually have.
SNP finance spokesman Alex Nicoll said: “It is absolutely clear that our city has lost out massively from Theresa May’s billion pound deal to keep her job.
“The Barnett consequentials we now won’t see would have been worth more to the North East than another two city deals.
That’s a huge sum and could have led to immense improvements in education, healthcare, transport and addressing poverty.”
But Conservative Freddie John said: “I think we are seeing nothing more than petty point scoring from the opposition here.
“This move would have absolutely no impact on the decision of the government.
“They talk austerity but it is the SNP conducting austerity on Aberdeen through it’s funding of the city.”
The SNP amendment was defeated by nine votes to eight.