POLITICS is a peculiar business.

The normal rule of thumb is that if you have the opportunity to lead a government or a council then, come Budget Day, you have the opportunity to show voters your best ideas and how much you are in command of the future of your country or, in our case, our great city of Glasgow.

But last week’s Budget Day in Glasgow was a remarkable occasion.

The SNP City Treasurer Allan Gow delivered a Budget with all the joy of the Reverend I M Jolly, as he wailed and howled at the failure of the Scottish Government to give proper funding to Glasgow.

This was followed by the SNP Council Leader Susan Aitken who decided that, after years of defending the funding formula used by the Scottish Government, she was a sudden convert to ‘urgent reviews’ of how the fate of Glasgow is dependent on the will of politicians at Holyrood.

I gently pointed out that Glasgow’s funding has taken a nosedive since the SNP came to power in 2007, and that I had been warning for years the real consequences of neglecting funds for Local Government.

The warm response I received from the SNP benches as they understood my previous words of vision was truly heartening as their senior members accepted Labour’s long standing critique of their Government’s neglect of our city.

READ MORE: Anger at Glasgow City Council's decision to close Blairvadach Outdoor Activity Centre

But Glasgow is not alone in this tragic defenestration of Local Government. All across the country, the income raised by increasing Council Tax by nearly 5% is not even enough to stand still.

It is untenable that people will have to pay more to receive less in services and also face charges being introduced for services that were once covered by the Council Tax charge.

But underneath every Budget is the personal impact of decisions. Last week’s sad decision was SNP Councillors voting to close the one remaining Outdoor Learning Resource for Glasgow’s schoolchildren at Blairvadach.

Putting aside the ridiculous situation of the staff working at Blairvadach only hearing of their fate during the Council meeting – the loss of the facility would be profound for the life chances of children in our city.

The reaction from the people of Glasgow is clear. The online petitions have seen an outstanding response, with a remarkable outpouring of affectionate memories of the transformative experiences at Blairvadach.

We must all support the campaign @SaveBlairvadach, to retain the facility for future generations.

I am clear that, if any additional money comes from the Scottish Government after the final budget is set, keeping Blairvadach open must be the number one priority.

My Labour Group will push for that at the earliest stage.

But that depends on the City’s Parliamentarians, especially those with a yellow rosette, to persuade the new Finance Minister to find additional money for Glasgow and for Local Government.

Time is of the essence.

The children of Glasgow deserve better.