The 15th – 21st of May marks Mental Health Awareness Week 2023. This year’s theme is anxiety.
COSLA’s Children and Young People Spokesperson, Councillor Buchanan, has commented on the vital role of local government in supporting better mental health and wellbeing for all in our communities.
Councillor Buchanan said: “Financial pressures, exams, employment, relationships and other life events can all cause anxiety.
“Whilst this a normal feeling it can sometimes become a mental health issue, significantly impacting people’s lives.
“Local Government remains committed to supporting our communities around the causes of poor mental health and wellbeing, and working with them to design and deliver the mental health and wellbeing support they need.”
Scotland’s councils must radically change how they operate – particularly how they collaborate with partners – if they are to improve and maintain services to their communities.
Councils worked well with their partners to address the impacts of Covid-19. They need to implement the lessons learned during the pandemic in order to now cope with reducing budgets, growing demographic and workforce pressures, and declining performance across some services.
The Scottish Government and COSLA urgently need to finalise the planned ‘New Deal’ settlement for local government, allowing for more long-term planning, flexibility and transparency in councils’ budgeting process.
Currently, an increasing proportion of funding is ringfenced for national priorities; this constrains councils from making decisions about how to best use money to address the local needs of their citizens and communities.
Councils must now rethink how they work together, and with local partners and communities, to provide financially sustainable services whilst tackling national issues such as climate change, child poverty and inequalities. Few councils provide services jointly or share support services across different councils.
Councils also need better data in order to ensure that they can demonstrate that their services are meeting their citizen’s needs.
Tim McKay, Acting Chair of the Accounts Commission said: “The New Deal for local government, agreed between the Scottish Government and COSLA, is long overdue. Putting this in place will give councils longer-term financial stability, supporting them to make decisions and make the fundamental changes that are urgently needed.
“Councils have gone beyond the point where making savings is enough. If the change needed doesn’t happen now, some services will continue to get worse or deeper cuts will be made. This will impact communities and individuals that are already at crisis point with the effects of inequality and persistently high poverty.
“Councils need to have open and honest conversations with their communities and staff about the future of council services.”
COSLA President Shona Morrison has said that Councils are already at the forefront of service provision and are probably the most transformative and collaborative part of the public sector in Scotland.
The COSLA President also called on other parts of the public sector to be as radical and transformative as Scottish Local Government and praised how well Scottish Local Government collaborates with partners in particular.
Commenting yesterday (Wednesday) in response to the Accounts Commission Overview Report, Councillor Morrison said: “As today’s report recognises, Councils worked well with their partners to address the impacts of Covid-19.
“The report also recognises the huge challenges Councils face due to budget constraints, increased cost pressures and demand, and increases in directed and ringfenced funding. As we have all seen, increasingly difficult choices are required about spending priorities and service provision given reducing budgets coupled with growing demographic and workforce pressures.”
Councillor Morrison added: “In addition, we are working with the Scottish Government on a ‘New Deal’ for Local Government, which will enable more long-term planning, more transparency in the budget setting process and a reduction in ring fenced funding for national priorities which constrains councils from making decisions about how to best use money to address the needs of their local communities.”
She concluded: “Only on Monday of this week, in our response to the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s call for views on public service reform, we highlighted the significant efficiencies and reforms that councils across Scotland have already made in response to successive real-terms cuts to core funding for over a decade.
“We also welcomed the Scottish Government’s renewed commitment to work collaboratively with Local Government to deliver on shared priorities, including tackling child poverty and achieving a just transition to net zero.
“Today’s report from the Accounts Commission and our response to the Finance and Public Administration Committee deliver exactly the same message. Councils are uniquely placed to be the key partner in the Scottish Government’s public service reform programme and should be further empowered to better support local service delivery.”
Tax, targeted support and tough budget choices will all need to be considered as part of bold measures to tackle poverty, First Minister Humza Yousaf said yesterday after meeting poverty campaigners.
The anti-poverty summit, convened by the First Minister, saw political leaders from across the Scottish Parliament meet with people who have direct experience of poverty, campaigners, and third sector organisations.
Speaking after the event, which was attended by around 90 delegates, the First Minister said: “I called the summit to listen to the views of a wide range of partners, particularly those at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis and with direct experience of poverty, about what they believe needs to be done.
“Everything I heard confirmed that poverty and the cost of living crisis is the biggest challenge facing this country – one that has been exacerbated by some of the UK Government’s actions and inactions.
“We have already acted to tackle the pressure on those most in need – for example, our game-changing £25 per week per child Scottish Child Payment, Carer’s Allowance Supplement, and Winter Heating Payment.
“But we must do more. We must be bold in considering future tax decisions. Tough choices will need to be made about existing budgets, and we need to consider whether targeting help is the way forward when money is so tight.
“It’s not enough to wish poverty away. We have to be hard-headed and realistic about what can be done – and then we have to focus on making it happen. That means the debate must now be about tax, targeting and tough choices. We are listening and will not shy away from the decisions needed to reduce poverty.”
COSLA President Councillor Shona Morrison said: “The initiative from the Scottish Government is a good one and one which Local Government can get fully behind. Tackling poverty is a core objective for Local Government working in partnership with the Scottish Government, the third sector and public and private sector partners.
“The cost- of-living crisis we are living through at present is being tackled head-on by Councils the length and breadth of Scotland and partnership working is vital to achieving positive outcomes for individuals, families and our communities across Scotland.”
Commenting on reports around the expansion of universal free school meals in Scotland, Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “The First Minister has to recognise the injustice that leaves so many children in Scotland hungry and without food they need.
“With figures from the Trussell Trust showing record numbers of families accessing food banks, this is not the time to roll back on commitments relating to free school meals.
“We know that many low-income families just miss out on qualifying for means-tested free school meals, and many others don’t claim because of shame or stigma.
“The best way to tackle this problem is through universal free school meals that benefit all of our children and young people.”
Peter Kelly was speaking just after attending yesterday’s anti-poverty summit, chaired by the First Minister.
He said: “The First Minister’s poverty summit was a timely opportunity to refocus on tackling the injustice of poverty in Scotland. Across all those who took part, there was a clear sense of urgency on the need to deliver real change.
“There was no shortage of ideas for action. We can expand funded childcare, use public contracts as a lever to improve pay and conditions in key sectors, and remove barriers to work for those people most affected by poverty – women, disabled people, people from Black and ethnic minority communities.
“Now is the time for the Scottish Government to turn those ideas into concrete action. We look forward to a follow up summit in the coming year to check where progress has been made.”
Positive anti-poverty summit soured by possible roll-back on Free School Meals
THE sCOTTISH Trades Union Congress (STUC) and the STUC Women’s Committee have warned of massive resistance to any reversal on the SNP free school meals pledge and called for an acceleration, not a roll-back of the programme.
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “We were enthusiastic participants in the summit today. Our key message is that better and fairer wages tied to redistributive taxation must lie at the heart of strategies to tackling poverty and inequality. Current levels of in-work poverty are totally unacceptable and place further pressure on our under-funded benefits system. We need to see real action coming out of this summit.
“Suggestions this morning that the Scottish Government might consider breaking pledges to extend free school meals is not what we are looking to hear. Investing in the health of all of our young people and removing stigma is a key priority and any roll-back will be fiercely resisted.”
Andrea Bradley, Chair of the STUC Women’s Committee and General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland said: “The STUC Women’s Committee would be deeply concerned if the First Minster’s comments around a potential reversal of the Scottish Government’s progressive policy on universal free school meals expansion as reported today, were to be put into action.
“1 in 4 children in Scotland were living in poverty before the onset of the cost-of-living crisis, which the previous First Minister declared a humanitarian emergency. Now, food inflation of 20%, together with exorbitant energy costs, and stagnant wages is making life even harder and more miserable for hundreds of thousands of parents in Scotland and their children – many already missing out on a decent meal at school because of the stigma or the bureaucracy of means-testing.
“Now is the time to accelerate the roll-out of universal free school meals – not to roll back on what were essential promises.”
Councils empowered to prioritise ‘homes for living in‘
Plans to enable councils to raise the amount of council tax paid on empty and second homes will be included in a new consultation to help increase housing availability.
First Minister Humza Yousaf will announce proposals at the Scottish Trades Union Congress today (Monday 17 April) which could give councils powers to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on second homes from April 2024.
The proposed change would bring second homes into line with long-term empty homes from next year. The joint consultation with COSLA will also seek views on further powers to charge more than double rate on both empty and second homes in future years.
Latest figures show that in January 2023 there were 42,865 long-term empty homes in Scotland.
The consultation will also ask for views on whether there should be changes to the definition of when a property offering self-catered accommodation becomes liable for non-domestic rates.
The plans will deliver on commitments in the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 strategy and Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Green Party to enable councils to prioritise homes for living in and manage the impact of second or long-term empty homes.
Ahead of the consultation opening, the First Minister said: “We want everyone in Scotland to have an affordable home that meets their needs and this work to improve the availability of sustainable long-term housing opportunities is a core part of that.
“By recognising the important role councils have in considering local needs, these proposals aim to strike a balance between good housing supply and helping communities to thrive and benefit from tourism.
“I encourage anyone who is interested to respond to the consultation as we try to prioritise homes for living in, seeking a fair contribution to local services from everyone and recognising the benefits to local economies from self-catering accommodation and second homes.
“All responses will be carefully considered before legislation is introduced to the Scottish Parliament.”
COSLA Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmaan said: “Local government in Scotland is committed to supporting access for everyone in Scotland to an affordable home.
“That is why we are pleased to be launching this joint consultation, as we work to meet the shared aim of creating the right balance to increase the availability of housing and a taxation system that is fair for the tourism industry.
“We also welcome the greater fiscal empowerment for councils to reflect local circumstances this would introduce. Any additional funding created by these changes under consultation will enable councils to invest in local needs and support sustainable communities.
“We are pleased to be jointly working with the Scottish Government on this vital area of work and we look forward to considering the responses.”
Scotland’s Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) face considerable financial challenges and immense pressures on their workforce, says public spending watchdog Audit Scotland.
IJBs have reached the point where significant transformation will be needed to ensure the long-term capacity, financial sustainability and quality of services individuals receive.
IJBs plan and commission many community-based health and care services. Demand for these services is increasing, in part due to demographic change and support for people with increasingly complex care needs.
The number of care hours for those aged over 65 reached nearly 25 million in 2021/22. The proportion of care services reporting vacancies increased by 11 per cent to 47 per cent, with a 30 per cent turnover of staff each year.
Most IJBs underspent on providing services in 2021/22. This was largely because of difficulties in recruiting staff, which led to unplanned vacancies, and pandemic-related reductions in service provision. The reductions in service provision were likely to have contributed to an increase in unmet health and social care needs.
In 2021/22 IJBs returned significant surpluses, with reserves doubling to over £1.3 billion. This was mainly due to additional funding received late in the year for specific policy commitments, including Covid-19. The Scottish Government are currently exploring options to recover around two-thirds of the unspent Covid-19 money held in reserves.
Across Scotland, IJBs have a combined projected funding gap of £124 million for 2022/23.
To be financially sustainable in the longer-term, IJBs must reduce their reliance on reserves. All IJBs must put in place detailed plans that clearly show how they will achieve the needed ongoing savings on a recurring basis and support urgently needed service transformation.
William Moyes, Chair of the Accounts Commission said: “Change is needed now – it cannot wait for a National Care Service. Action is needed to tackle funding pressures, which are under increasing stress from rising demand and cost pressures.
“The workforce challenges are considerable, with mounting unmet need.
“We need to see services focus on prevention, with appropriate funding in place to transform the way services are delivered and to improve lives. “
Local government organisation COSLA agrees.
COSLA Health & Social Care Spokesperson, Councillor Paul Kelly, said: “Today’s report from Audit Scotland is concerning and highlights the enormous pressure our health and social care infrastructure is under.
“People across Scotland rely on vital health & social care services every day, and it is critical that there is meaningful investment in the system which ensures their long-term capacity.
“We must ensure focus remains on front-line service improvement and sustainability, rather than the bureaucratic structural change presented through the National Care Service Bill.”
Councils and Scottish Government ‘working hand-in-hand’
First Minister Humza Yousaf has reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to resetting the relationship with local authorities in a meeting with COSLA President Shona Morrison.
A New Deal for local government has been embodied in the appointment of a dedicated Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning, Joe FitzPatrick, who joined the meeting alongside Deputy First Minister Shona Robison.
The New Deal will be jointly agreed with COSLA and will provide greater flexibility over local funding and clear accountability for delivering shared priorities.
The First Minister said: “These early discussions in my first week as First Minister have been an important opportunity for me to reaffirm the Scottish Government’s commitment to working collaboratively with local government.
“Together, local and national governments work hand-in-hand to deliver on our shared priorities for the people of Scotland and the vital public services in our communities whilst recognising the considerable financial pressures across the public sector.
“Work is already underway on developing a New Deal for Local Government. We will work together, through regular and meaningful engagement, to progress this, explore a new fiscal framework for councils and reform our public services.”
COSLA President Shona Morrison said: “I was very pleased to get a meeting with the new First Minister in his first week in office. It was both a productive and positive meeting with a range of issues discussed.
“I certainly hope we can build a strong working relationship as we jointly go about delivering for the people of Scotland.”
Children will have access to high quality play areas, which will remain free of charge, as a result of new investment.
The Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed £50 million in funding to local authorities over the next three years for the refurbishment of children’s play parks.
Play parks identified for refurbishment by local authorities are expected to be revamped thanks to the additional funding.
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey visited Figgate Park with pupils from Duddingston Primary School yesterday. She said: “Playing outdoors has huge benefits for children’s physical and mental wellbeing, and play parks ensure children can access high quality safe environments free of charge as families grapple with the cost of living crisis.
“This funding will support local communities to take forward their plans to improve play parks for children in their area.”
Members of the EIS have voted overwhelmingly to accept the current pay offer proposed by local authority employers and the Scottish Government.
In an online ballot that closed today, 90% of those voting opted to accept the pay offer. Turnout in the ballot was 82% . The EIS represents over 80% of Scotland’s teachers at all grades and in all sectors of education.
Speaking after the ballot result was announced at a meeting of the EIS national Council in Edinburgh yesterday, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: “EIS members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the current pay offer, with 90% of those voting opting to accept in an online ballot.
“Turnout in the ballot was also high, confirming that Scotland’s teachers believe that it is now time to accept the offer and bring an end to the programme of industrial action in our schools.”
Ms Bradley added, “The acceptance of this offer will mean that, for most teachers, their pay will increase by 12.3% by next month in comparison to current pay levels. This includes a backdated 7% increase from April 2022, and a 5% increase from this April.
“Teachers will also receive a further 2% increase in pay from January next year, with the next pay settlement then scheduled to be negotiated and payable from August 2024 onwards. The total current package will amount to a 14.6% increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024.”
Ms Bradley continued, “EIS members have taken a pragmatic decision in voting to accept the current pay offer. While it does not meet our aspirations in respect of a restorative pay settlement for Scotland’s teachers, it is the best deal that can realistically be achieved in the current political and financial climate without further prolonged industrial action.
“It compares favourably with recent pay settlements across the public sector, and does provide pay certainty for Scotland’s teachers for the next 16 months until the next pay settlement is scheduled to be delivered in August 2024.”
Ms Bradley concluded, “It is deeply regrettable that it took a sustained industrial dispute, and the first programme of national strike action on pay by teachers in forty years, for the Scottish Government and COSLA to finally come up with an acceptable pay offer for Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals.
“Scotland’s pupils, parents and teachers deserve better, and the Scottish Government and Scotland’s local authorities must commit to ensuring that education is properly funded, and that teachers are fairly paid, in all future years in order that Scottish Education can provide as it should for our young people and for the good of our whole society.”
Teachers across Scotland have been offered the largest pay package in over twenty years, with most teachers seeing their salaries rise by £5,200 in April if the new pay offer is accepted.The EIS is to ballot its members on the latest pay offer to teachers, with a recommendation that the offer should be accepted.
The 28-month deal – the sixth offered to unions – has a cumulative value of 14.6% and would mean an overall increase of more than £6,100 for the 70% of classroom teachers who are at the top of their main grade pay scale.
It would amount to a cumulative rise of 33% for most teachers since January 2018 and would bring the starting salary for a fully qualified teacher – already the highest in the UK – to £38,650 after probation by January 2024.
The revised offer, agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA, is:
1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 – a 7% uplift for all grades up to a ceiling of £80,000, where a cap of £5,600 (pro-rata) will apply
1 April 2023 to 31 December 2023 – a 5% uplift for all grades up to a ceiling of £80,000, where a cap of £4,000 (pro-rata) will apply
1 January 2024 to 31 July 2024 – a 2% uplift for all grades up to a ceiling of £80,000, where a cap of £1,600 (pro-rata) will apply
Cumulatively, these amount to an uplift of 12.4% by April 2023 and 14.6% from 1 January 2024.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Teachers make an invaluable contribution to the lives of our children and young people. This historic offer, if accepted by unions, would see teacher pay increase by 33% from January 2018 to January 2024.
“We have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved. The Scottish Government is supporting this deal with total funding of over £320 million across this year and next.
“This reflects our commitment to reach a fair agreement and avoid further disruption to children and young people’s education.
“I hope that teaching unions will now give their members the opportunity to consider this new offer and to suspend the planned industrial action next week. This would minimise any further disruption to learning, particularly in the run up to the SQA exam diet.”
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “We have reached a position today whereby we sincerely hope our Trade Union partners can take this revised offer to their membership for a vote.
“Scotland’s Council Leaders fully value all of their workforce and recognise the invaluable contribution teachers make to the lives of our children and young people.”
The EIS is to ballot its members on a revised pay offer to teachers that was presented yesterday by local authority employers, with a recommendation that the offer should be accepted.
The EIS is also suspending all planned industrial action while it ballots its members on the new offer.
A special meeting of the EIS Salaries Committee, comprised of teachers from across Scotland, has this evening unanimously agreed to ballot members on the new offer. The Committee also overwhelmingly agreed to recommend that members vote to accept the new pay offer.
Subsequent to the decision of the Salaries Committee, a special meeting of the EIS Executive Committee agreed to suspend all planned industrial action while members are consulted on the offer. The online ballot will open today (Friday) and run until 1000hrs on Friday 10th March.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The view of our negotiators is that this deal represents the best that can be achieved in the current political and financial climate without a much more prolonged campaign of industrial action.
“It is through the determination and collective action of teachers and associated professionals across Scotland, led by EIS members, that we have improved this pay offer from an initial 2% for the current year to 7% for the current financial year, with additional increases of 5% and then 2% within the following financial year.
“This will result in the majority of teachers seeing a 12.3% increase on their current rate of pay by April of this year and by 14% by January 2024.”
Ms Bradley added, “This has been a long dispute which has been challenging for all concerned. Teachers have taken strike action as a last resort, and that strike action has delivered an improved pay offer that the EIS can credibly put to its members with a recommendation to accept.
“It is now for our members to decide whether to accept this offer, and it is our recommendation that they should do so.”
The EIS recently announced an escalation of its action to include targeted strike action in schools within the constituencies of the First Minister, Deputy First Minster, Cabinet Secretary for Education, and COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann.
As the Scottish Green Party is a party of the Scottish Government, part of its Education Spokesperson’s (Ross Greer) regional constituency has also been targeted – the part of Clydebank and Milngavie constituency that lies within the East Dunbartonshire Council area.
There will be two days of national strike action for all members on Tuesday 28th February and Wednesday 1 March and a further 20 days of rolling strike action between 13 March and 21 April 2023.
National Strike Days
Date
Local Associations
Tuesday 28th February
All Local Associations
Wednesday 1st March
All Local Associations
Targeted Strikes
Date
Constituencies
7th – 9th March
Glasgow Southside, Dunfermline, Perthshire North, the part of Clydebank and Milngavie constituency that lies within the East Dunbartonshire Council area and Mid Galloway & Wigtown West
