03/02/2016 Reporting Scotland

MSPs have rejected an increase in Scottish income tax.

Labour had called for a penny increase in tax at all levels,

mainly to fund education, to be effective from April.

But in a vote at Holyrood, a majority of MSPs said no to that

and backed the Scottish Government's budget plans for the year ahead.

This from our political editor Brian Taylor.

Which two are you going to take away?

Sums and choices. Katia Dugdale chooses a penny on income tax at all

levels, mainly to fund education. The proposals in the budget at a

strip millions of pounds out of our budget for schools. I am not

prepared for the next iteration of kids to pay for Tory austerity.

Meanwhile, outside Holyrood, trade union members, the other wing of the

labour movement, protest against council job losses.

In the middle of it all, the finance secretary. John Swinney says that

Labour's plan would punish public-sector workers and

pensioners, while he wants to shelter them.

I want to say to the teachers and to the public service workers, the

length and breadth of this country, who have had to endure pain

constraints because of the austerity programme of the United Kingdom

government, that I value the sacrifices they have made, and the

last thing I will do is put up their taxes.

A helping hand from Nicola Sturgeon. Scottish ministers plan to extend

the living wage to social care workers and others. Staff at this

Midlothian centre already received that higher rate of pay, but no

increase to standard rating contacts, not now, not next year,

but Holyrood should have greater flexibility to vary tax.

I don't think an increase in the basic rate of income tax is the

right thing to do. Labour's tax blunders year involves

a rebate, with councils and then back ?100 to the lowest paid,

including low-income pensioners. -- Labour's tax plans this year.

Labour's Jackie Baillie insisted the plan had been thoroughly checked.

The Liberal Democrats backed a penny on tax for education. New powers,

they said, meant cuts should be blamed upon Scottish ministers.

He is imposing the kind of budget that he has previously condemned.

The people of Scotland will know that his refusal to act means that

every single cut to public services in Scotland is a John Swinney cart.

But John Swinney received decidedly ironic support in resisting tax

increases from the Conservatives. It gladdens my Tory heart to hear

these self-proclaimed Social Democrats and political progressives

on the SNP bench is arguing so vigorously and so passionately

against increases in tax. To coin a phrase, we are happy to be better

together with the SNP on this issue. To the votes tonight. Are we all

agreed? Not by a long shot. Labour's tax increase was rejected, John

Swinney's cut was back. Finance Secretary John Swinney has

repeated that the Scottish Government is working

towards a February 12 deadline for a deal on the financial aspects

of more powers for Holyrood. But he said Scottish ministers

would "give all the time possible "to secure a deal"

on the so-called fiscal framework. Earlier, it emerged

that the deadline for agreement between the UK and Scottish

governments could be breached. MPs this evening debated public

spending in Scotland. Keen as though I am to have a warm

and supportive relationship with the Scottish Government, I have never

felt the Saint Valentine's Day date had much relevance to this process.

I am willing to continue working towards a deal as long as that

takes, and as long as we can. In fiscal agreement is vital, as

Lord Smith himself said. It is fundamentally important in making

Scotland's new powers work. It is the final piece in an interlocking

jigsaw, and we couldn't agree more with that.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has been forced to postpone plans

to downgrade certain kinds of 999 calls.

Ambulance chiefs had planned to change the urgency of 12 kinds

of call-outs, which would have meant crews had to respond within 19

They include seven symptoms involving chest pains

However, Scotland's Chief Medical Officer has expressed concern,

Different categories of patients need a different type of response.

These codes are quite old, 30 years old, and in fact, our treatments and

our response times have, of course, improved over those years. So

perhaps now the time has come to actually look in more detail at

these codes, because we want to sustain the best outcome with our

current treatment. A fourth person has died

following a crash on the M9 37-year-old Sajjad Ahmad

was the driver of a Mercedes which was involved in

the collision in West Lothian. His wife Saadia was pronounced dead

at the scene and their 9-year-old The driver of the other vehicle -

42-year-old Mark Hansen - Two boys, aged ten and 14,

remain in a serious condition. Seven members of the executive

committee of Scotland's biggest mosque have resigned

after they and their families were allegedly subjected to threats

and abuse by opponents In a joint statement,

they said that their efforts to improve the representation

of women and financial transparency at the mosque had been

opposed by traditionalists. No-one from the mosque has been

available for comment. Police Scotland have confirmed

they are investigating the matter. Scotland's third biggest bank,

the Clydesdale Bank, has become independent

again for the first time It's being sold off by its owners,

the National Australia Bank. Here's our business

correspondent David Henderson. It has had a place in Scotland's

High Street since the 1830s, and now the Clydesdale has a new

High Street since the 1830s, and now life. For years, its owners,

National Australia Bank, have wanted to sell it off, so they have taken

on billions of pounds of Clydesdale's debts, leaving the

Scottish bank largely free from the burdens of the past.

We had independence, and what that really means is that we will be able

to make investments in our customers, based on what our

customers need, as opposed to having a third party forming a view, so we

listen to our customers, we decide what they want, and we deliver.

Having independence to do that is a hugely important part of our

strategy going forward. By the time the Clydesdale bank Bill

these huge headquarters here in Glasgow, it was already helping to

fund the rapid growth of the Empire's second city. The bank

financed Glasgow's pioneering water supply and broke down barriers by

offering lending to women. These days, Clydesdale bank is a big

player, with 121 branches in Scotland, and his partner, the

Yorkshire bank, is 154 in England. Between them, they will serve almost

3 million UK customers. So they Between them, they will serve almost

the biggest of the Between them, they will serve almost

Challenger banks, ready to take on giants like RBS.

Historically, banks have benefited giants like RBS.

from inertia. People are just not wanted to change their current

accounts. Because we will be able to look around and see better deals,

and the internet which facilitates that, it means that that is probably

a good environment for the consumers.

We all have a place that means something to us. And with that in

mind, Clydesdale is eager to boost its mortgage lending. Come petition

from customers -- for customers may be hotting up.

Two women have been charged in connection with an assault

The women, aged 57 and 61, were arrested following

allegations of an assault at the Chapel Level

Gordon Graham died in the blaze in the town's High Street

The 42-year-old man is due to appear at Peterhead Sheriff Court tomorrow.

An unfinished documentary about the Highlands begun

in the 1950s is to be completed and and given a premiere.

It was made by a group of film-makers who ran out of money,

but 60 years on, it will at last be shown on the big screen.

Our arts correspondent Pauline McLean reports.

Lost Treasure examines the changing face of the Highlands in the 1950s.

The most ambitious project to date for the film-makers' collective,

based in Glasgow. Justin shot, giant sheep farm. But their film was never

finished, the project abandoned, when the group ran out of money, and

forgotten, until film festival director Matt Lloyd contacted

Scotland's Moving Image Archive. Not only did they have about 40 minutes

of footage just sat there, silent footage, that as far as we know,

having been used at all in any form, they also have the original script,

so I was just really keen to bring this film, this footage, to the

light of day. The script meant they could not only

edit the film, but create a new soundtrack.

You can guess what the mood they were after is, and although that

mood might involve using different music now, it does give you a

pointer towards the sort of tone that they would like to have had

over that particular part of the script. It's like a sort of phantom

director that is not in the room with you, but is in the script to

help you along and guide you. And while the original film-makers

may not be around to see the premiere, with a live score, it is

out some of their families will. Maybe there aren't, children or

grandchildren might hear about this, and they might come out of work. And

maybe there is more fudge that was shot. As far as we know, this is all

the footage we have, but there may be more real than someone's garage

somewhere. And maybe there is a sequel to this

aptly named Lost Treasure. Aberdeen beat Celtic 2-1

at Pittodrie tonight to move to within three points

of the Glasgow side at the top A goal from Johnny Hayes in the 30th

minute cancelled out Celtic's earlier domination and the home side

hit another from a corner shortly after when Simon Church knocked

in a header from Kenny McLean. Celtic's Leigh Griffith hit

a consolation goal for the visitors. N with the weather forecast, and it

is over to Gillian. A chilly one today, but at least we

had some sunshine around at last, which is more than we will see for

the rest of the week. It will turn more miles, but a return to cloudy

and damp conditions as well. This is the picture tonight. A weather front

sits just to the west of us, pushing rain across the country, which will

turn quite wintry as it meets with the cold air. The North Wales,

northern England, Central and southern Scotland, snow mainly

confined to the hills, but from Persian Northwoods, we will see some

wet snow, and some accumulations of a higher-level roads. -- hairshirt

Northwoods. Temperatures recover to six or seven Celsius on the West

Coast. That is because this rain is linked to a warm front. As it pushes

across the country tomorrow, it will to do is milder air, but a lot of

cloud and some outbreaks of brain with it. This is the picture of you

are heading out around eight o'clock. The rain mainly affects

western Scotland at this stage. But the north-east, you are still in the

colder air, and similarly for the East Highlands and the Northern

Isles. Where there are still showers, that will have a wintry

flavour. Through the day, we continue to bringing areas of rain

from the West, nothing too heavy, much of it light and patchy, but

generally lending a great, and feel of the day. If you write are

glimmers perhaps for Southern counties of England, and

temperatures here up to 13 Celsius, but the very best of the sunshine

will be over Shetland, although you will still be in that cold air, but

you will see the best of the sunshine. Temperatures, 3-4, by

contrast to 10-11 in that milder air. Through tomorrow evening, that

warm front moves up to the Northern Isles, bringing the rain here.

Elsewhere, we are and what we call one sector air, so it is cloudy and

damp, with bits and pieces of rain, but still relatively mild into

Friday. Friday itself, another weather front head our way, with

heavy rain, particularly the south west Scotland. An early warning for

the Met office that we could see localised flooding, and it turns

windy again as well.