THE first debate on the Scottish budget will take place on Thursday afternoon, following the announcement of a deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes revealed a £158 million agreement had been reached between the two on Thursday - marking the fourth year in a row when the Greens have partnered with the SNP on the budget.
Due to the SNP sitting as a minority Government, votes must come from other parties to pass legislation.
Forbes announced a number of changes to the draft budget as a result of the deal, including the addition of £95 million for local authorities, which was requested by council umbrella body Cosla.
She also announced an increase of £18 million for Police Scotland and a £45 million package to tackle climate change, £25 million which will be spent on energy efficiency initiatives, £15 million given to councils to promote active travel and another £5 million will be used to improve rail services.
The Finance Secretary also said work would be done on assessing the legality of free bus travel for those under 19 - a key Green Party demand - with a view to the initiative starting in January 2021.
During her announcement of the draft budget, Forbes said all money in the Scottish purse had been allocated, a statement she reiterated while announcing the new deal - saying any increases will come from "limited amounts of underspend", along with a multi-year approach on non-domestic rates and consequentials sent to Scotland as part of the fossil fuel levy.
The Finance Secretary also claimed the budget had taken in key demands from all political parties.
The Scottish Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have already vowed not to support the new budget.
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