West Lothian Council Rejects World Cup Public Holiday

0:00It's April 28th. Welcome to Edinburgh News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with the story. West Lothian Council just shot down a public holiday for Scotland's big world cup return on 15 June. That's the opener against Haiti, kicking off at 2 a.m. here after 9 p.m. in Boston. Scotland's first tournament since 1998 sparked the idea, but this council joined most of the 32 local authorities saying no. Earlier this year, then first minister John Swinney announced the bank holiday and it got royal assent in early February. Only five councils across Scotland are actually going for it, leaving West Lothian focused on keeping services running smooth. Counselor's class hard on this. Lib Dem Sally Paddle called it an SNP political stun. Like a pre-election bribe, pointing out no holidays for Andy Murray's Wimbledon, Wins or Olympic. Golds. As noted fans could just record the match, dismissing claims that thousands would miss out. Head of corporate services, Leslie Henderson laid out the costs, 30,000 to 40,000 pounds

1:03extra for staff pay bumps and school closures. Straining tied budgets, SNP leader Janet Campbell labeled the no vote classes, but staff can still request the day off if coverage allows. Labor's Danny Logg figured a holiday makes more sense deeper in the tournament anyway. With no formal vote, STP abstentions got nixed understanding orders, so the decision stands firm for now.