Tag: budget lobbying campaign

COSLA: Local Services Cannot Take More Cuts

COSLA launches Budget Lobbying Campaign

Scotland’s councils have warned that vital local services are at risk without a fairer funding settlement, after making around £5 billion of savings since 2010-11 and facing a further £529 million funding gap in 2026-27.

Councils deliver the services people rely on every day, from educating more than 700,000 pupils, to supporting almost 98,000 people with care at home, maintaining 54,000 kilometres of roads, tackling homelessness and supporting vulnerable families.

With years of efficiencies and service redesign, councils say there is little left to cut. Spending on culture and leisure has already fallen by 26% in real terms since 2010-11, while corporate support spending has reduced by 25%. At the same time, demand for services and inflation continue to rise.

COSLA’s concerns are backed by several independent organisations.

The Accounts Commission has warned that council funding is failing to keep pace with rising costs and demand, while the Joseph Rowntree Foundation continues to highlight the growing levels of poverty and hardship driving demand for local support.

Together, the evidence paints a clear picture: communities need stronger local services at precisely the moment councils are under the greatest financial strain.

COSLA Resources Spokesperson Kelly Parry said: “There is little left to cut without communities feeling the impact. Councils have already delivered billions in savings while continuing to provide the services people rely on every day.

“Local services are the foundation of strong communities. If Scotland wants high-quality schools, social care, roads and local support services, councils must be given the resources to deliver them.

“The choice is clear: either we invest in local services or we accept their decline. Communities across Scotland deserve better than that.”

COSLA is calling for increased investment in local government, including support to meet growing social care demands, inflation-proofed funding, greater local flexibility and multi-year settlements that allow councils to plan effectively for the future.

“Strong communities need strong councils. If Scotland wants high-quality local services, local government must be properly funded to deliver them.”

Read our budget lobbying document here.

COSLA-Budget-Document-2026Download

COSLA: Well-funded councils are the key to unlocking the very best for Scotland’s communities

Councils are key to unlocking both the potential and the best outcomes for our local communities but require proper funding to do so, COSLA said yesterday.

The comments came as COSLA launched their Budget Lobbying campaign for the coming year, ahead of the Scottish Government’s Budget announcement on December 19th.

COSLA President, Councillor Shona Morrison, said: “Councils really are the key to unlocking the best for our communities – from safe, quality housing; to clean streets; to supporting the most vulnerable people to thrive; to education and social care – the importance of these services cannot be emphasised enough, but they need to be funded properly.

“We all see the headlines in our local and national press about the difficult financial choices councils need to make, deciding whether to reduce or even cut vital services and ending funding for essential charity and community partners.

“Unfortunately, Councils have no choice but to protect core statutory services, especially with the unprecedented financial challenges we are all experiencing. Budgets are tight, creating risks to many other local services our communities rely on, such as programmes supporting children and young people, sports and leisure facilities and public transport.

“The Verity House Agreement has facilitated positive working between Scottish Local Government and Scottish Government since being signed in June, but COSLA is clear that we must use this to jointly tackle poverty, make a just transition to Net Zero, and achieve sustainable public services.

“Fair funding for Local Government must be a Scottish Government priority in order to unlock the full potential of our councils to achieve these goals.

“The campaign we are launching today clearly illustrates not only the challenges our Councils are facing, but the great potential they have if funded properly. We will continue to work closely with Scottish Government and other partners to get the best deal for our councils and our local communities.”

COSLA Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann added: “What councils deliver with and on behalf of communities is key to creating the safe, healthy, vibrant and empowered communities we all want to see.

“Local Government holds the key to unlocking the potential in local areas, with its unique understanding of context, challenges and opportunities in individual local areas.

“Sadly, our reality right now is an extremely challenging financial climate coupled with years of real-terms cuts to council budgets while additional policy commitments are continually being introduced.

“If this situation doesn’t start to improve soon, it will mean tough choices being made and the many essential services councils currently provide will cease – services that not only address problems on the ground, but actively prevent bigger issues occurring down the line.

“We have been clear that cutting frontline staff isn’t the answer. We need to see Scottish Government investing in Local Government, so we can do what we do best – preventing problems in the first place and improving quality of life.

“The challenges we face nationally are best addressed at the local level, not at crisis point in A&E or within the criminal justice system. From better health to reaching our net zero ambitions to improving our economy, a well-funded Local Government is the key to Scotland achieving a better future.”

COSLA launches Live Well Locally budget lobbying campaign

COSLA is today calling for adequate funding from the Scottish Government and a reversal of historical cuts as it launches its Budget Lobbying Campaign, ‘Live Well Locally’.

COSLA says urgent action is needed to address the consequences of real term cuts to the core budgets of Scotland’s 32 Councils in recent years.

The call comes as Finance Secretary Kate Forbes prepares to lay out the government’s spending plans in the Scottish Budget on December 9.

COSLA says Local Government can no longer continue to be the ‘poor relation’ it has been in recent Budgets and that December 9 presents a perfect opportunity to reset Scottish public spending in a way that empowers councils to achieve their ambition for our communities.

Speaking at a virtual news conference in Edinburgh, the COSLA President, Councillor Alison Evison, said: “Enabling people to ‘Live Well Locally’ is a shared ambition across Scottish Government and Local Government, but the resources must be provided to deliver this at a local level in line with local democratic choice.

“Sadly cuts to Councils’ core budgets over recent years have not allowed us to fully realise this shared ambition.”

COSLA’s Vice President, Councillor Graham Houston, said:  “The fact is that Scotland’s Councils are key to creating the conditions for people within our communities to ‘Live Well Locally’, whether that’s on a remote farm or in a city centre.

“People’s local environment has become even more important during the pandemic and Local Government must be empowered and funded properly to allow us to create the environment for people to ‘Live Well Locally.’  Recovery needs to start locally to tackle the key issues facing our communities and local leadership is needed for that.”

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, added: “Tackling the economic and health challenges created by the pandemic needs a local dimension – all the evidence and research backs this up.

“We fully support Scottish Government’s ambitions around economic transformation but that starts in every community.

“Local Government has been the poor relation of recent Budgets and our local knowledge and links need to be used fully before we are past the point of no return.  Our communities are starting to show the neglect of an under-funded Local Government.

“Quite simply, what we need from this Budget is proper funding to provide the everyday services our communities need and deserve.”

Read the ‘Live Well Locally’ document here