Long term vs short term: competition for funds

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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Money set aside for restoring nature is to be diverted into funding wage settlements in Scotland’s local authorities.

BBC Scotland News understands that ministers have written to councils telling them to divert the current year’s allocations from the Nature Restoration Fund to settle pay deals.

The fund is worth £29.2m although the cash is split between councils and the Scottish government’s nature agency Nature Scot.

The Scottish government said £5m was being redirected to fund the pay offer but added that it would be replaced in future years.

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Woodland Trust Scotland and an industry body said a grant scheme to encourage tree planting was facing cuts of more than £32m or 41%.

Ministers have missed all but one of their last six annual targets for creating new woodland, which helps absorb greenhouse gases…

Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, praised the government’s ambition but said the actual amount of woodland being planted had fallen over each of the last five years.

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