We stood in united and urgent opposition to the Labour-led proposals from the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) to slash almost all community mental health funding in the capital. If these cuts are implemented, Edinburgh could become the only capital city in Europe without local government-funded mental health support. That would be a shameful badge of dishonour for Scotland’s capital, and one we must do everything possible to prevent. Let’s be clear: The proposed £2.2 million cut to block-funded mental health contracts would devastate services that meet people where they are – often those with severe mental illness, people living under Compulsory Treatment Orders, or with conditions like Huntington’s. Organisations such as Redhall Walled Garden and those within the Thrive Collective have long delivered vital early intervention services, keeping people out of hospital, in employment and engaged with family and community life. Now they are facing an existential threat. What’s most disturbing is that this is not an isolated misjudgment, but part of a broader pattern. From Westminster to the City Chambers, Labour appears committed to carrying on the austerity agenda of the Conservatives. Cut quietly, cut deep and only reconsider when public outrage makes the cost too high. It’s a cynical, backwards approach to public service and one that is failing the people of Edinburgh. Labour in Edinburgh, backed by their coalition partners, has demonstrated that they are no better than the service-slicing Tories who came before them. The SNP warned about this trajectory and, sadly, those warnings are now being realised. In the EIJB, SNP Councillor Vicky Nicolson, along with only three others, voted against these devastating proposals. Her powerful speech before the vote reminded us that small investments in community support prevent far greater costs – social, human and financial – down the line. Vicky’s experience in community-based prevention work shows exactly what we risk losing: support that prevents homelessness, keeps families together, and stops people falling into crisis. But such outcomes are only possible if the resources – the staff, community spaces, third sector organisations – still exist. Once dismantled, these services will not be easily rebuilt. The consultation process was, frankly, a disgrace. Rushed through in four weeks with a belated and inadequate easy-read version, many participants – including people with learning disabilities – said they could not provide an informed response. Their voices were not heard. Worse still, there has been little attempt to reflect their input in the final plans. The third sector, again, was brought in late and left feeling tokenised, not trusted as the experts they are. Organisations like Health All Round and Big Hearts are among those already bruised by earlier EIJB decisions. Now, the axe swings again. At the very moment when mental health support should be expanding to meet rising demand and cost-of-living pressures, Labour has chosen to retreat. The SNP will continue to fight these short-sighted, harmful cuts – in Edinburgh and in every part of government. We will always stand up for the poorest and most vulnerable, protect prevention and early intervention, and ensure Scotland’s capital is a place where mental health support is a right, not a privilege. Angus Robertson is SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary