Labour MSP, Margaret McDougall has expressed her outrage at taxpayers’ money being used to fund a series of ‘Yes’ meetings across Scotland including North Ayrshire.

The Scottish Government is currently holding a series of public meetings in the run up to the referendum, the purpose of the meeting is to question Cabinet Secretaries on the white paper ‘Scotland’s Future’, where members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions about independence.

Labour MSP, Margaret McDougal said: “It’s outrageous that the Scottish Government are able to use public money to host these meetings, not only did the SNP use at least £554,432 of tax payers’ money to fund the white paper they are now using your money to promote a yes vote.” “You can bet that if Westminster were doing the same the SNP would cry foul, yet they can get away with this, indeed they already have cried foul when they accused one Scottish council of promoting a No vote in letters that were sent out.” “The SNP have stated on numerous occasion about how cash strapped the Scottish Government currently is, yet they are using your money to promote their cause. These aren’t public information meetings, if they were they would invited the other side along, they are meetings solely to promote a yes vote at your expense!”“When I questioned Nicola Sturgeon MSP about this in parliament on Thursday the 20th she refused to answer just how much each meeting is costing the tax payer.” Cunninghame North SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson, who is chairing one of the meetings with Finance minister John Swinney in Brodick later this month, said: ““The Scottish Government is holding public meetings to make sure the people of Scotland have the opportunity to quiz Ministers directly on independence and the biggest opportunity Scotland will have in 300 years.

“Alongside the white paper this is just the kind of information that the public have been asking for which is why attendance at such meetings has been so high.” It is not believed that the recent meeting in Largs, organised by the SNP, was publicly funded.