Libraries, leisure centres, and cultural venues across the Borders are under threat. Communities are bracing for closures. And once again, the people who rely most on these services - families on low incomes, older residents, young people - are being asked to pay the price for a broken system.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about one organisation. It’s about a model that’s failing our communities.
Live Borders, like many “arms-length” organisations, was set up to manage public services with more “flexibility.” But what we’ve seen instead is a lack of transparency, a lack of accountability, and a growing disconnect between decision-makers and the people they’re meant to serve. When decisions about local libraries and leisure centres are made behind closed doors, it’s our communities that lose out.
The Scottish Greens believe public services should be just that - public. That means bringing services like libraries, sports centres and cultural venues back under democratic control. It means funding them properly, not outsourcing responsibility and hoping for the best.
We know the money is there. It’s just not being shared fairly.
While CEOs are offered near six-figure salaries, families are struggling to heat their homes. While councils are forced into impossible choices, billionaires and big landowners enjoy tax breaks. That’s why the Scottish Greens are fighting to replace the outdated Council Tax with a progressive property tax - so those with the broadest shoulders pay their fair share. And we’re using the powers of the Scottish Parliament to push for lower income tax for low earners, while asking the wealthiest to contribute more to fund the services we all rely on.
This isn’t just about fairness - it’s about priorities.
We should be investing in libraries, not closing them.
We should be expanding public transport, not cutting routes.
We should be tackling poverty and inequality head-on, not managing decline.
And we should be treating culture, sport and community spaces as essential to wellbeing - not luxuries to be trimmed when budgets get tight.
Thanks to the Scottish Greens’ actions while in Government, Councils like SBC can choose to implement a visitor levy (aka tourist tax) that takes a few pounds from visitors staying overnight to invest in public services. Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow are already pressing ahead with their planned levies, estimating raising millions of pounds in revenue from summer next year. Scottish Borders Council hasn't even proposed consulting with residents and businesses.
Catriona McAllister says she wants to lead Live Borders through a “service transformation programme.” We agree transformation is needed but not the kind that shuts doors and cuts corners. We need a transformation that puts people before profit, communities before consultants, and public good before private gain.
The future of our public services is a political choice. The Scottish Greens are choosing communities. Will you?
You can follow my campaign on social media or contact me directly through this blog. I'd love to hear from you.
Laura Moodie
Scottish Green Party Candidate for South of Scotland
