The Scottish Government and councils must fundamentally rethink how they plan, fund and staff additional support for learning as part of core school education in Scotland.
Since legislation in 2004 to make additional support for learning (ASL) more inclusive, there has been an eight-fold increase in pupils recorded as receiving ASL; currently 40 per cent of Scottish pupils – or 285,000 children – receive ASL. Almost all support is now delivered in mainstream classrooms, and it has become an increasingly central part of what teachers do.
The Scottish Government failed to plan for the impacts of this inclusive approach, and poor data means it is not possible to determine the scale, complexity and nature of needs across Scotland. The Scottish Government and councils urgently need better information to understand pupils’ needs and appropriate level of resource to support them.
Existing measures show a wide gap in outcomes for pupils receiving additional support compared with other pupils, including being more likely to be absent or excluded from school. More appropriate ways of measuring the achievements of pupils who receive ASL are still to be developed.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government has failed to plan effectively for its inclusive approach to additional support for learning. Current gaps in data mean it is unclear whether all children’s right to have an education that fully develops their personality, talents and abilities is being met.
“The Scottish Government and councils urgently need better quality data to understand pupils’ additional support needs and the resources required to provide support to enable all pupils to reach their full potential.”
Ruth MacLeod, Member of the Accounts Commission, said: “Councils and the Scottish Government must fundamentally rethink how additional support for learning is planned and provided as a core part of Scotland’s school education.
“This includes reviewing how mainstream and special education is provided to meet current and future additional support needs and demands.
“It is critical they work with pupils, parents and carers and staff throughout this process.”
COSLA’s Children and Young People Spokesperson, Councillor Tony Buchanan @antbuc1), has commented following report published today about Additional Support For Learning from the Auditor General and Accounts Commission.
The Auditor General and Accounts Commission published a briefing paper on additional support for learning (ASL) on 27th February 2025. It makes a series of recommendations to Scottish Government and Councils, touching on data, measuring the outcomes of children and young people with additional support needs, funding, workforce planning and school buildings.
The COSLA Children and Young People Board will discuss the briefing at their meeting on 7th March.
Councillor Tony Buchanan, said: “Local Government is fully committed to supporting all children and young people to learn and to providing opportunities so that they can realise their full potential. The briefing paper published by the Auditor General and Accounts Commission on additional support for learning is welcomed.
The COSLA Children and Young People Board will be updated next week, with an initial consideration of the recommendations. COSLA, alongside the Scottish Government, co-chair the Additional Support for Learning Project Board.
“There will be an opportunity for the project board to consider the recommendations fully when they meet next month and consider how these can inform their priorities.”
Yesterday COSLA and the Scottish Government convened a roundtable discussion to consider immediate challenges facing the delivery of social care services:
COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson Councillor Paul Kelly, reflected on the meeting: “I was very grateful for the representation from across the care sector, including our partners in the third and independent sectors, involved in this critical discussion.
“We all have a shared responsibility to improve outcomes for people using health and social care services in Scotland, and I am acutely aware of how much more challenging this becomes when confronted with significant budget gaps for Local Government and Integrated Joint Boards.
“Of course, I know that it’s a similarly challenging financial context for our partner providers who deliver vital care and support for people.
“The reality is that the current financial challenges will have a very real impact on services and it’s for this reason I thought it was crucial to bring together key partners to highlight the impact this has been having – and will continue to have – on the system.
“The changes to employer National Insurance contributions, coupled with continued financial constraints and uncertainties, are a significant risk felt by Local Government which will impact upon the delivery, commissioning and procurement of services.
“There are no easy solutions to the challenges that were aired but I was encouraged by the frank and open contributions from attendees, and the consensus that it’s more important than ever that we work collaboratively to ensure continued delivery of social care for all those who need it.
“As COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, I want to reiterate that we are doing everything we can to address the challenges the sector collectively faces, and that COSLA remains absolutely committed to engaging with the Scottish and UK Governments on these matters.”
The public will be invited to submit their views on how to make the Council Tax system fairer, as part of wider efforts to explore options and build a consensus for potential reform.
As part of a joint programme of engagement by the Scottish Government and COSLA, independent analysis will also be commissioned to examine the Council Tax system accounting for market changes, reforms, and improvements.
This will inform public engagement later this year, followed by a Scottish Parliament debate on the findings and proposed policy reforms.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “Partnering with COSLA, we want to examine ways to make Council Tax fairer, which will help to continue to deliver better public services across Scotland.
“By working closely with local authorities and listening to the public, we will be seeking a consensus on a local taxation system that is fairer, financially sustainable and fits a modern Scotland.”
COSLA Resources Spokesperson Cllr Katie Hagmann said: “Local Authorities wish to see a fair and proportionate Council Tax, which benefits people and communities.
“COSLA is looking forward to working with the Scottish Government on a programme of engagement with the public, with the shared goal of achieving a better, fairer system of local taxation.”
Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “People across Scotland want local services that support a just and compassionate society. We need a fair system of local taxation to support those local services. The unjust and regressive council tax is simply not up to that job.
“We have been waiting for years for political leaders to take responsibility to bring in a progressive system of local taxes that will ease the burden on low income households and raise the investment needed for public services.
“There have been manifesto promises, consultation after consultation, and an independent commission. Now we have yet another deliberation process between the Scottish Government and Cosla.
“Scotland can no longer wait. The Poverty Alliance has been giving evidence for years on how council cuts are hitting people on low incomes the hardest.
“This consultation must lead to real and substantial change – not only to fairly fund the local services we all need, but to rebuild trust in our political process.
After years of broken promises on changing local tax, the time for action is now.”
Programme of engagement:
Expert and independent analysis will be commissioned, including to provide high level analysis and modelling on alternative scenarios and reforms of the system.
Following that, a range of activities to seek the views from a wide range of people from across Scotland will be undertaken, consisting of three key elements:
A formal public consultation process.
A number of public events or ‘town hall’ meetings held over the autumn months, ensuring a reasonable geographical spread and diversity.
A set of focused discussions with key stakeholders and experts.
The public engagement will aim to capture a wide spectrum of opinions and considered responses, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives, including representation from those paying Council Tax across different bands.
COSLA is clear that the proposed funding from Scottish Government won’t cover additional Employers National Insurance costs, and councils still face an extremely challenging financial position as they set their budgets.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, commented: “We note that the Scottish Government has announced it will fund £144m of the additional direct staffing costs that will result from the UK Government’s policy decision rise to Employers National Insurance. However, this leaves a gap of £96 million Councils will still need to fill within their budgets.
“While we acknowledge that the UK government is still to announce additional resources, it is important to note that there has been no additional funding for commissioned services, the biggest of these being adult social care, which are also vital services and will see significant impacts.
“Given the mounting challenges for local government, this additional funding will not solve the crises councils and communities are facing, which are exacerbated by the Employers National Insurance increase.
“Difficult decisions will still need to be made as councils look to protect essential frontline services.”
LAST WEEK the Scottish government confirmed that plans for a National Care Service (NCS) in Scotland have been scrapped in favour of an advisory board and smaller, more targeted reforms (write FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE’s MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
The decision came after months of declining support from key organizations and stakeholders including COSLA, key trade unions and representative bodies for social care providers in Scotland.
Beyond the wavering support for the NCS plans, there is clear support for social care reform, particularly in enhancing access to and the quality of services.
Our interest in the National Care Service, and wider social care reform stems back to 2022, in which we conducted analysis of the NCS bill published in June of that year. Following this work, published in August 2022, we engaged with a number of stakeholders across the private, public and third sector.
Among concerns around governance and funding of the NCS, one of the key concerns from stakeholders we engaged with was the lack of good quality and timely data that is crucial to ensuring that any reforms to social care are well informed. In particular, the need to better understand what future levels of social care demand might be, the workforce requirements to accommodate this, and the associated expenditure on social care.
Our concerns about the lack of investment in social care research were highlighted in our response to the Wave 2 consultation. The Scottish Government has not commissioned any work in this area, and we have not been able to find independent funders willing to fund work of this nature in Scotland.
It is our view that projections of demand and cost of the current service, and any future reforms, is urgently required.
New labour market data published
The latest data on the labour market in the UK was published last week. There are many documented issues with the data at the moment due to the challenges faced by the Labour Force Survey, which means the headline figure are no longer considered accredited Official Statistics.
If you can set that aside for a moment, the headline results show on the surface a strong Labour market in Scotland, with high employment (74.1%) and low unemployment (3.8%). Inactivity rates remain slightly higher than the UK at 22.9%.
There are a number of other data sources published alongside the LFS data which is used to supplement our understanding of what is going on in the Scottish economy. One of these is the payrolled employment data, known as the PAYE Real-Term Information, which is published every month by the ONS. This draws on administrative records, and so is likely to be more reliable in terms of employment (although, of course, tells us nothing about unemployment or inactivity).
This data shows that payrolled employment is almost 3% higher in Scotland than pre-pandemic levels. However, we had a look at replicating the sectoral breakdowns in this interesting piece by think.ing, which looks at government-dominated sectors vs the rest.
Chart:Payrolled employment in all sectors, government dominated sectors (public administration, health and education, and total excluding government, Scotland, January 2020=100
Source: ONS
This shows that once the government dominated sectors are excluded, payroll employment has been falling since March 2024, and is now almost back at the levels seen in January 2020. In contrast, government dominated sectors are 8% about pre-COVID levels.
Given some of the challenges facing the private sector in the first half of 2025, including large increases in employer National insurance contributions which will come in in April, the trend in private sector employment is concerning, and points to a weakness masked if we just look at employment in total.
However, it is worth emphasising again that this is just payrolled employment, and does not cover self-employment.
A dedicated advisory board, support for unpaid carers and enshrining care home residents’ rights to see loved ones are at the heart of revised plans for the National Care Service.
Social Care Minister Maree Todd outlined the next steps for reform to Parliament yesterday after plans to progress the National Care Service Bill were paused for further consideration in November 2024.
A new non-statutory advisory board – comprising of people with lived experience of accessing care, social care workers, care providers, trade unions, the NHS and local government – will be established to provide guidance and drive improvement within the sector. It is expected to meet for the first time in the spring.
The introduction of Anne’s Law, which upholds the rights of residents in care homes to be visited by families or friends, will remain in the legislation to reform social care, alongside a right to breaks for unpaid carers.
The Scottish Government Bill will also improve information-sharing across health settings and the ability for individuals to access and manage information about their care, while progressing plans for a national social work partnership.
Ms Todd said: “We want to deliver a National Care Service that improves the experience of everyone who relies on social care, social work and community health in Scotland.
“Change is urgently needed to reform the social care sector in Scotland but it has to be meaningful and sustainable change. That’s why we paused the Bill for further consideration, to fully capture the views expressed by all stakeholders, members of the public and the Parliament.
“The advisory board will include people with lived experience of social care, ensuring it has those who access services at its heart. It will allow us to drive forward vital reform more quickly than our original proposals.
“The Bill gives adult care home residents a legal right to see their loved ones with the implementation of Anne’s Law and recognises the significant contribution of unpaid carers to Scotland’s communities by introducing a right to breaks.
“There will be enhanced information-sharing to improve the coordination of individuals’ care, and we will work in partnership with the sector to bring forward reform that future-proofs the social work service in Scotland.
“People need sustainable change to social care and these actions will allow that to happen as quickly as possible.”
COSLA Leaders will meet at the end of January to take a position on the National Care Service Bill.
Still time to sign up for our Community Councils webinar at 6pm on Wed 29 January, when we will get an update on the Democracy Matters consultation from the Scottish Government.
The Democracy Matters engagement process asked communities to consider what the future of community decision making should look like where they live.
On 19 September 2024, COSLA and the Scottish Government published the Democracy Matters National Conversation report alongside a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to this work.
In this session Scottish Government officials will be presenting the process findings and outlining next steps for this important work.
COSLA has shared two new documents setting out high-level analysis of the Scottish 2025-26 Budget and what it means for Councils and essential local social care services.
What does the Scottish Budget mean for councils?
Following the Scottish Budget announcement earlier this month, we shared a short briefing setting out high-level analysis on what the Budget means for Scottish Local Government.
Commenting, COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, commented: “This Budget is a welcomed step in the right direction for Local Government and provides a small amount of additional uncommitted revenue and capital funding for 2025/26.
“However, due to the unprecedented financial challenges being faced by our councils, this additional funding may not be enough to reverse planned cuts to vital services across our communities.”
What does the Scottish budget mean for social care?
Our councils have increased real terms spend on social care by 29% since 2010/11 at the expense of other preventative, non-statutory services. However, rising operational costs, escalating demand for services, and high inflation mean that the need for greater funding is more urgent than ever.
The level of funding provided in the 2025/26 Budget will not resolve the unprecedented challenges being faced in local social care services.
COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Councillor Paul Kelly, added: “Without additional funding to increase capacity across all of our social care services, there is a very real risk that key services will not be able to transform to the scale that our communities require and deserve.
“COSLA and Local Authorities are ready and willing to work constructively to support improvement and reform in social care that is aligned to local needs and priorities, but this should be backed by the much-needed investment.”
Local authorities receive ‘real terms increase’ in funding
Councils will share a record funding settlement of more than £15 billion subject to passing of the 2025-26 Budget, provisional allocations show.
The 2025-26 Local Government Settlement includes a £289 million increase in funding to be used by councils to meet local needs and £120.5 million additional funding for pay deals.
The Budget also includes a one-off payment of £40 million to help councils respond to the climate emergency, and additional funding to support free personal care, teacher numbers and island communities.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “Our Budget is laying the foundations for Scotland’s future success, with investment to help improve the public services that people rely on.
“Local authorities provide some of the most important services to our communities – from schools to social care – which is why we’ve increased their funding by more than £1 billion compared with last year’s Budget.
“The settlement is the result of meaningful budget engagement with COSLA and Councils. While council tax decisions are a matter for individual local authorities, with record funding of over £15 billion there is no reason for big increases in Council Tax next year.
“This is a Budget that will deliver increased funding for schools, social care and other vital council services. But this funding will only reach communities if the Budget passes, so I am asking Parliament to unite behind it.”
The 2025-26 Budget will deliver progress for the people of Scotland, with a record increase in frontline NHS spending, and plans to lift 15,000 children out of poverty by mitigating the UK Government’s two-child limit from 2026.
Setting out the Budget to Parliament, Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the government had listened and would now act on the priorities of people, businesses and organisations across the country – delivering progress for Scotland, by Scotland.
The 2025-26 Budget includes:
a record £2 billion increase in frontline NHS spending taking overall health and social care investment to £21 billion to reduce NHS waiting lists, making it easier for people to see their GP, and progress the Belford Hospital, Monklands Hospital and Edinburgh Eye Pavilion projects
funding for universal winter heating payments for older Scots, and investment to allow the mitigation of the two-child cap from 2026
tax choices that freeze income tax rates, increase the Basic and Intermediate rate thresholds to put more money in the pockets of low and middle-income earners, and provide business rates relief for hard-pressed local pubs and restaurants
a record £15 billion for local government to support the services communities rely on and £768 million to provide 8,000 more affordable homes
£4.9 billion of action on the climate and nature crises to lower emissions and energy bills, protect the environment, and create new jobs and opportunities
a real-terms uplift of 3% for spending on education and skills to maintain teacher levels and invest in school infrastructure, as well as new funding to put more breakfast clubs in primary schools
a £34 million uplift for culture in 2025-26
The Finance Secretary said: “I am proud to present a budget that delivers on the priorities of the people of Scotland.
“Parliament can show that we understand the pressures people are facing. We can choose to come together to bring hope to people, to renew our public services, and deliver a wealth of new opportunities in our economy.
“This Budget invests in public services, lifts children out of poverty, acts in the face of the climate emergency, and supports jobs and economic growth.
“It is a budget filled with hope for Scotland’s future and I look forward to working with all parties in Parliament to secure agreement around its provisions.”
£6.9 billion total investment in social security, including the Scottish Child Payment
almost £4.2 billion across the justice system in 2025-26, including £1.62 billion for policing to support capacity and capability, £881.1 million for prisons, including £347 million for the prison estate to deliver HMP Glasgow and HMP Highland, and £159 million for community justice services to support the wider use of community interventions
over £2.6 billion towards public transport to support bus, rail and ferry services and increases the dedicated funding available to the four councils operating their own ferry services to £50.3 million
over £660 million for rural communities to support the crucial contribution of Scotland’s farmers, crofters and the wider rural economy
almost £90 million to protect, maintain and increase our woodlands and peatlands, to restore more than 15,000 hectares of degraded peatland and ensure the creation of more than 11,000 hectares of woodland across Scotland
a £34 million uplift for culture in 2025-26, building on the £15.8 million increase in the last Budget to take the total incremental increase in culture funding to almost £50 million – the halfway point in our commitment to increase funding to culture and the arts by £100 million more annually by 2028-29
£6 million for the National Islands Plan to deliver infrastructure projects designed in partnership with islanders to support successful and resilient island communities
protection for free tuition and a 3.5% increase in total investment in Higher Education, compared to a 3.08% increase in university funding in England
Ben Macpherson MSP has welcomed the Scottish Government’s budget commitment to provide significant additional funding for the Granton Waterfront regeneration project, with a long-term agreement to be formalised in 2025.
Having spoken regularly about Granton in the Scottish Parliament this year, and previously, to promote the area as a strategic development site for Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole, Ben Macpherson MSP is delighted that the Scottish Government has committed financial support to significantly progress the City of Edinburgh Council’s ambitions plans.
The budget statement by Shona Robison MSP included: “I can confirm today that we will be working with Edinburgh City Council to unlock over 800 new, net zero homes at their Granton development site.”
In the Scottish Parliament, during the Budget statement and question session, Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith said: “As the local constituency MSP, I believe passionately in the significant potential for the development of Granton Waterfront to help tackle Edinburgh’s housing challenges, to transform the northern part of our capital city for the common good, and to deliver economic growth, new opportunities and multiple positive benefits for existing communities and our country more broadly – that’s why I have worked constructively to highlight all of this to Ministers, and am therefore delighted and grateful that the Finance Secretary has committed to working with City of Edinburgh Council to deliver 800 more homes.
“Can the Finance Secretary say more about the Scottish Government’s commitment to the development of Granton Waterfront – as a strategic site – and the positive impact this will deliver for the people of Northern Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole?”
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Shona Robison MSP, replied: “Ben Macpherson is absolutely right, the Granton Waterfront development is a big deal for Edinburgh, and we will work with Edinburgh Council over the coming months and hope to announce a deal on the detail early in the 2025-26 financial year to support this multi-year project.
“And I talked in my statement about it unlocking 800 new net-zero homes of mixed types and tenures but also sustainable transport links and placemaking initiatives.
“This can be a gamechanger for Edinburgh and I am very acutely aware of the housing need in Edinburgh, and I think this will go a long way to helping as part of this solution.”
Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, added: ““This is a very significant step forward towards tackling Edinburgh’s housing emergency and realising all of North Edinburgh’s remarkable potential.
“I have passionately and consistently supported the regeneration of Granton Waterfront throughout my time as the MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, and have worked to be a constructive link between the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council in this collective endeavour.
“The vacant and derelict land in Granton has the potential to be transformed into a new residential hub and a destination to visit for locals and tourists alike – just like in Dundee and other waterfront cities across the world. It is fantastic that the Scottish Government has committed to this vision and given pivotal financial backing to make it happen!
“Edinburgh continues to face significant, various housing challenges and building more affordable homes is crucial in helping to tackle this. With Scottish Government support, the development plans for Granton will deliver transformational change to benefit the local area and the wider economy.
“It has been a consistent priority since my election to promote and deliver more affordable housing in Northern Edinburgh – as well as accompanying infrastructure and facilities in the area, like cultural and creative hubs, opportunities for small businesses to thrive, and key services such as schools and health centres – and I look forward to seeing the development of Granton benefit the people of Edinburgh in the years ahead, and the additional investment and opportunities that will be created.”
BUDGET REACTION:
Responding to today’s Budget statement by the Finance Secretary, John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, said: “The Finance Secretary is absolutely right to mitigate the two-child limit in the absence of abolition at UK level.It’s a pernicious policy that pushes 15,000 children into poverty in Scotland alone.
“Investing in social security for families is key to delivering on the First Minister’s number one priority of eradicating child poverty.
“The devil will be in the detail and families really can’t wait until 2026 to see their incomes boosted, so an above inflation increase to the Scottish child payment is still needed in the meantime.
“But there is no question this is the right focus for prioritising spend. We need the UK government take the same approach to investing in family benefits as a matter of utmost urgency.”
CHILD POVERTY ACTION GROUP
COSLA
Responding to today’s Scottish Government draft budget, Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “The two-child limit is a huge injustice that has no place in a compassionate society – because every child matters and every child should get support they need.
“We welcome the Scottish Government’s proposals today, and we hope that the UK Government works positively and quickly to get this extra support to households with children. We hope it adds to the pressure to scrap the two-child limit across the UK.
“With record numbers of children in temporary accommodation, additional investment in affordable homes and homelessness prevention is necessary and welcome. But we know that more social homes are needed to tackle the housing emergency in Scotland – meeting that challenge requires further investment.
“Many of our members have called for the Scottish Government to make up the difference for pensioners who have had Winter Fuel Payments taken away from them. They will welcome today’s plans.
“We have worked directly with people who are forced to live on a pittance by the unjust UK asylum system, and we supported their campaigns for free bus travel. It is welcome that the Scottish Government have allocated to funding to that proposal, which will increase their freedom to build a life beyond poverty and take part in society. We hope this is the start of a move to provide bus passes to more people – starting with those eligible for benefits.
“But we can do more. There are around 240,000 children in poverty in Scotland. We need to go further and faster if we are going eradicate child poverty.
“That means more immediate support through the Scottish Child Payment and using our powers over tax and investment to build a stronger society for all of us – especially people in poverty.”
POVERTY ALLIANCE
SAVE THE CHILDREN SCOTLAND
SCVO
SCOTTISH HOSPICES
“Today @scotgov announced £768m to buy or build 8k affordable homes next year. It is a sign it’s taking the housing emergency seriously but it is only a reverse of previous cuts. As a result, it’s a cut in real terms as same money buys less now compared to two years ago.
“Though it is a step forward, 8,000 homes is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed There are 243,000 people on waiting lists in Scotland. The last decades have seen the decimation of council housing because of a lack of funding, stock transfer and right to buy.
“This government needs to deliver more social housing by allocating greater funding for stock buy back and for social and council house building programmes, to ensure more people have a stable, secure, affordable place to live.”
LIVING RENT
We welcome the budget statement from the Scottish Government signalling the value it places on culture & the arts.
Culture is the beating heart of Scotland & this budget offers us all hope for a more stable, positive future.
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Creative Scotland wholeheartedly welcomes the positive news of the substantial uplift for Culture, including Creative Scotland, in the Scottish Government’s draft budget announced today.
In 2025/26, Creative Scotland’s draft Grant-in-Aid budget from the Scottish Government will be £80m, up from £51.4m in the previous year. Included in this is an additional £20m, specifically for use in supporting the Multi-Year Funding programme and an additional £2m to support delivery of Screen Scotland’s strategy.
The Board of Creative Scotland will meet on 16 December to agree the final budget for Multi-Year Funding and a further update will be made following that meeting.
The final outcomes from the programme will be announced by the end of January.
Creative Scotland’s Chair, Robert Wilson, said: “Today’s draft budget announcement by the Scottish Government is enormously welcome. The major boost to Multi-Year Funding and other activities opens up wider opportunities, and we are grateful to the Scottish Government for this significant vote of confidence in Creative Scotland and the creative and culture sector.
“This is especially positive in the light of the long-term financial challenges the sector has been dealing with and will enable people and organisations to once again look forward with more confidence.”
CREATIVE SCOTLAND
Today’s budget released by the Scottish government is a “step in the right direction” but comes too late to ease the winter crisis already hitting some of the country’s A&Es.
This is the response from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) following the budget announcement today – Wednesday 4 December 2024 – by Finance Secretary Shona Robison MSP.
Dr Fiona Hunter, RCEM’s Vice Chair for Scotland said: “We welcome the government’s commitment to addressing many of the systemic issues that have plagued our health care system – its patients and staff – for far too long.
“However, it has not come soon enough to ease pressures faced by A&Es who are working under extreme pressure to care for patients right now.
“We restate our commitment to working with the Scottish government to bring an end to this reality and #ResuscitateEmergencyCare in Scotland, for generations to come.”
The budget statement comes just one day after an Audit Scotland report revealed the number of people remaining in hospital because their discharge has been delayed – often due to a lack of social care capacity – is the highest on record.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
In response to today’s Scottish Government Budget,Debbie Horne, Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age said: “Older people across Scotland will be relieved to see the return of some help with winter energy bills through the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment from next year.
“For many not currently receiving Pension Credit, or those just above the eligibility, this money is desperately needed. Although not what they were originally due to receive, last week’s decision has been welcomed by older people in financial hardship across Scotland.
“It’s also good news that Scottish Social Security has been uprated with inflation, including entitlements that are important to older people, such as Pension Age Disability Payment and Winter Heating Payment. Many people in later life will be reassured that this has been confirmed.
“We are pleased to see that the Scottish Government is focussed on supporting renters. Over recent years both the number of older people renting privately and the proportion in poverty has risen. The increase in the Discretionary Housing Payment funding pot is an important lifeline to many older private renters, making up rent shortfalls, and the increased investment in social homes building should give tenants of all ages more security.
“However, it is concerning that the Scottish Welfare Fund, which can be a crucial safety net for older people when emergencies occur, such as needing help with food or heating costs, has not been increased.
“Generally, the older people in financial hardship that we speak to will feel heard by the Scottish Government today. However, we remain concerned about older people this winter. Going forward, the Scottish Government must continue to make decisions that improve the lives of older people in poverty.”
INDEPENDENT AGE
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland,said: “We know from our annual survey that local government finances in Scotland are hanging by a thread. One in four councils are afraid they won’t be able to pass a balanced budget next year. Three quarters are warning that they may not be able to do so within the next five years. Today’s Budget from the Scottish Government does not engage with the scale of that challenge.
“Local government may welcome commitments to the New Deal with Local Government continuing work on a fiscal framework and plans to deliver new revenue raising powers. However, they will be dismayed to see how much funding continues to be ring fenced.
“There is an increase in core funding in today’s Budget but it doesn’t cover the ever growing costs of core statutory services.
“The Scottish Government has responded to the concerns of councils and has removed the freeze on council tax rises, but the Cabinet Secretary’s expectation that record funding levels should mean councils do not need to put up council tax is too complacent.
“The truth is that even with the additional funding announced today, local authorities will still need to raise council tax and make cuts to services and will still edge closer to being unable to balance their books.”
LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION UNIT
Commenting on the Finance Secretary’s Budget statement this afternoon, Director of CAMRA Scotland Stuart McMahon said:“Pub goers and licensees will be raising a glass to the news that the Scottish Government are finally introducing help with the burden of business rates that have contributed to scores of pubs having to close their doors in recent years, and at a higher rate than elsewhere on these islands.
“Pubs are a vital part of our social fabric and it is right that they will now get the same 40% reduction in business rates that pubs in England get. It is also encouraging that pubs on island communities will continue to get a 100% reduction with their business rates.
“In order to make sure our pubs survive and thrive at the heart of our communities ministers must now commit to reforming the entire Business Rates system to make it fairer. The Scottish Government should level the playing field between online and bricks-and-mortar businesses and finally end the shocking overpayment that pubs have to cough up under the current system.”
CAMRA
Mary Glasgow, chief executive at Children First said: “The Cabinet Secretary says this budget will lift children out of poverty but given that Scotland faces a childhood emergency it is difficult to see how.
“The promise of jam tomorrow, in the form of mitigating the UK two-child cap does nothing to alleviate the plight of thousands of children and families across Scotland who are going hungry today.
“We called on the Scottish Government to invest in early help and support for families and to increase the Scottish child payment. It is disappointing that they have chosen to delay investing in children rather than taking immediate action. Children can’t wait.”
