Tag: COSLA

Bin the Spin: Scottish Government talk of ‘positive discussions’ on teacher pay largely a PR exercise, says EIS

Scotland’s teacher unions have expressed their collective anger and disappointment with the continuing lack of progress in pay negotiations with the Scottish Government and COSLA.

An SNCT negotiating meeting that was held last Friday, which was again labelled as “positive and constructive” by the Scottish Government and COSLA, once again failed to result in any progress whatsoever toward a new pay offer to Scotland’s teachers.

While trade unions remain committed to a fair pay agreement, negotiated through the SNCT, teachers’ representatives are increasingly questioning whether the Scottish Government and COSLA truly share this commitment. No further negotiation meetings of the SNCT are currently scheduled.

Commenting, Des Morris – EIS Salaries Convener and Chair of the Teachers’ Side of the SNCT – said, “It is becoming increasingly clear that both the Scottish Government and COSLA have little or no interest in finding the modest additional funding that could bring a new offer to the table to potentially end this pay dispute.

“Five months since their sub-inflationary 5% pay offer was overwhelmingly rejected by teachers, and more than two months since a rehashed version of the same offer was again rejected, the Scottish Government and COSLA brought absolutely nothing new to the table in last week’s meeting – just a  stubborn stance that Scotland’s teachers should accept 5% which represents yet another substantial real-terms pay cut that only further erodes the value of teachers’ pay.

“The reality is that the union side wants to negotiate, and has offered a wide range of suggestions towards the potential ‘compromise’ that the First Minister and her Cabinet Secretary have said is needed to reach agreement.

“We have had absolutely no proposals from the Scottish Government and COSLA, however – merely the same old tired lines, and a repeated and unreasonable insistence that all of the ‘compromise’ must come from Scotland’s teachers.”

Mr Morris added, “It is disingenuous and unacceptable for the Scottish Government and COSLA to continue to misrepresent negotiations as positive and constructive.

“The cold, hard truth is that, despite all their public claims of ‘working tirelessly’ and ‘turning over every stone’ to reach agreement, their entrenched position and refusal to offer any compromise at all leaves teachers, children and young people, and their parents facing the prospect of continuing and escalating strike action in Scotland’s schools.

“The ongoing and planned strike action is entirely avoidable. The Scottish Government and COSLA need to come forward with a genuinely improved offer that unions can put to our members.”

SSTA to Take Two Further Days of Strike Action

The SSTA National Executive has, following another failed SNCT negotiating meeting, authorised two days of strike action on Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 March.

The SSTA will be joining members of sister unions in national strike action in a coordinated campaign of industrial action.

Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary said: “The SSTA has taken a measured approach to industrial action due to the impact it would have on the pupils preparing for exams.

“The deliberate inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA just shows the lack of respect and level of contempt, not only for teachers, but for the pupils they teach, forcing teachers to take more strike action. The Scottish Government and its accomplice COSLA are failing education, having deliberately refused to put any new money on the table since August last year”.

“The Scottish Government and COSLA were adamant during the pandemic that schools needed to be kept open and education needed to be continued regardless of the risks and dangers that teachers were placed in. These are the same people who have allowed this pay dispute to continue, see schools closed and pupils’ education disrupted. How can these people sit on their hands and seek compromise when they have refused to make any movement in five months?”

“How many more times are teachers to hear the same old rhetoric ‘we value teachers, and we are putting together a new offer’ only for another week to pass without a penny being put on the table. The SSTA has no option but to step up its industrial action”.

Catherine Nicol, SSTA President said. “Teacher unions are standing together and, with the support of the public and parents, we will succeed. However, we urge parents and members of the public to help by demanding action from the First Minister and Councils and get teachers back to school teaching”.

“Teachers have been propping up the education system for years by working many more hours a week than they are paid for and this goodwill is running out due to the arrogance of the employers and government who appear to want to break teachers resolve. I can assure them teachers are standing firm to get a fair pay settlement. Teachers need to say ‘No to Free Overtime’ and demand a salary that will retain and recruit teachers for the future”.

Holyrood’s Net Zero Committee issues missed target warning

Scotland will not meet its ambitious target of being net zero by 2045 without a more empowered local government sector, with better access to the skills and capital it needs to play its full role in the net zero energy revolution.

The Scottish Government must also set out a comprehensive roadmap that gives local government detailed guidance on how it wants the sector to make its full contribution to net zero.

These are the overarching conclusions reached in a report published today by Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee, following a year-long inquiry into the role local government should play in helping Scotland achieve its ambitious net zero goal by 2045.

The report calls for the Scottish Government to provide additional financial support to Councils in future budget cycles to help them contribute to national net zero targets.

But it also makes clear that, with estimates of £33bn needed to decarbonise heat in buildings alone*, attracting private investment at scale is essential. It calls on the Scottish Government and its agencies to work with local government on an investment strategy that will increase investor appetite and lead to deals being agreed. It also calls for an expanded role for the Scottish National Investment Bank, to help bring together local government and investors in public-private co-financing.

The Committee calls for an area-specific place-based approach to tackle climate change across Scotland; to ensure all players work together to co-ordinate and report on climate change measures. It calls for Councils to be given the powers they will need to make this place-based approach work.

In the report, the Committee recognises the leadership many local authorities are showing in responding to the climate crisis and says good practice should be more widely shared across Councils. The sector should take a more consistent approach to net zero planning, budgeting and target-setting and embed net zero decision-taking at senior levels within Councils. The report also calls for Councils to set targets covering all emissions in their area, because even in areas where they do not have direct control, they can still have influence.

The report calls for Scottish Government assistance to address a skills deficit at local government level, with the drive to reach net zero making “unprecedented and often highly technical demands” on the sector.

Launching the report, Convener of the Committee, Edward Mountain MSP, said: “Over the course of almost a year of evidence-taking, it’s clear that unless key barriers facing local government are dealt with, we will not reach net zero by 2045.

“Local Government is the layer of democracy closest to communities. They have local knowledge and capacity to lead by example and are also uniquely well-placed to form the partnerships we’re going to need at a local and regional level.

“We saw for ourselves on committee visits across Scotland the leadership and good practice many Councils and their local partners are modelling. But against a backdrop of financial pressure, where Councils feel they are being asked to do more for less, they are struggling to think and plan strategically to maximise their contribution to net zero.

“We hope that the Scottish Government, COSLA and the wider local government sector will pay close attention to the recommendations we have made to enable the scale of transformational and behavioural change required for Scotland to succeed.”

Some of the key recommendations made by the Committee to the Scottish Government include that it should:

  •  create a local government-facing “climate intelligence unit” to provide specialist help to Councils in areas where in-depth specialist knowledge is lacking;
  • allocate larger, fewer and more flexible challenge fund streams for net zero related projects at a local level that better support a holistic and place-based response to climate change;
  • address the churn, repetition and delay in the planning process that is holding up major renewables and other projects necessary to help meet net zero goals and has a chilling effect on investment. The long-term decline in numbers of Council-employed planners must be reversed in order to meet the ambitions of the new National Planning Framework, and one measure it calls for is the introduction of planning apprenticeships;
  • clarify the role Councils will play in an area-based approach to heat decarbonisation and set out the additional support they will be offered in preparation and delivery of their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies. We want to see the new Public Energy Agency empowered and directed to work with local government on area-based delivery.

The report also says Councils should set out how they will engage with local communities to ensure that the net zero transition is not something imposed on communities, but something that people and groups can help shape, lead and deliver. 

COSLA believes that the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Report out today (23rd January) is a watershed moment for tackling Climate Change.

Cllr Gail Macgregor, COSLA Environment and Economy Spokesperson said: “This report by the Committee on the just transition to a net zero economy is potentially a watershed moment for Scotland in tackling climate change.

“The report is clear that Scotland will not meet its ambitious climate targets without a more empowered Local Government. To empower Local Government, Councils need not just increased funding, but also larger, fewer and more flexible funding streams. This has long been COSLA’s central message, so it is hugely heartening to see it recognised so strongly in the report.

“Climate Change is a challenge we all must face. Local Government is committed, locally and nationally, to leading the net zero transition, but COSLA has been open that local authorities can’t do that effectively without the increased support of Scottish Government. The report by the Committee lays out in the clearest way yet the support that is needed and why.

“The recommendations of the report are mainly directed at Scottish Government, but we need to consider them carefully too. Climate change requires a genuine team Scotland approach and I would hope that this report coupled with last year’s publication by the Climate Change Committee could be the defining moment we have needed to get delivery of the net zero transition on track for 2030 and beyond.

“I commend the Committee for the fullness, diligence and clarity of their report.”

The full report by the Commitee can be read on the Scottish Parliament website here.

* Scottish Government estimate as at October 2021

Council funding crisis: Leaders write to First Minister over budget ‘cut’

Scotland’s Council Leaders have written to the First Minister expressing their collective deep concern about the impacts of the financial settlement that Scottish Government has proposed for Local Government as part of this year’s Scottish Budget.

At a special meeting of Leaders on Monday 16th December, it was unanimously agreed that the budget settlement as it stands means another real terms cut to Councils’ core funding, at a time when many in our communities are struggling with the impact of rocketing prices across fuel, food and other bills, and facing unprecedented levels of poverty in a modern era, in an era where Local Government continues to provide the targeted and ongoing support deemed so vital to those most in need.

Council Leaders feel that this budget settlement will have a detrimental impact on vital local services, on our ability to focus the necessary resources and supports to our communities and on those who are already impacted by this cost-of-living crisis.

Leaders added that significantly, it will lead to the loss of jobs, both within Local Authorities and within the local companies who supply goods and services to councils and are reliant on their contracts to employ local people.

In the letter Leaders did acknowledge the impact of inflation, the UK Government’s mini-budget and global economic factors that are continuing to weigh heavily on the Scottish Government’s budgets and spending plans.

Given the pressures facing Councils, Leaders are keen this year to meet with Ministers so they can hear concerns first-hand, look at possible solutions and to work collaboratively with Government to enable Local Government to continue to deliver vital services to our communities.

£27 million to support community regeneration projects

Regeneration projects in disadvantaged and rural communities across Scotland will receive a share of almost £27 million funding.

The investment will support schemes tackling child poverty and addressing issues like addiction and suicide prevention, while creating jobs and growing local economies. It supports town centre regeneration by bringing derelict buildings back into use and creating new buildings for the community or for commercial purposes.

The latest round of funding from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), delivered in partnership with COSLA and local authorities, will help 23 community-based initiatives which will create and support more than 700 jobs and more than 500 construction jobs, along with hundreds of training places.

Edinburgh’s Peffer Place Business Park in Craigmillar receives £2.25 million.

Other initiatives include:

  • converting a derelict Motherwell sports pitch into a recreation area and community base to support groups at particular risk of suicide
  • transforming a former pipe factory in Glasgow into a community centre and creative hub for young people, including those with care experience
  • renovating an empty, derelict building in Lossiemouth into a community hub providing services including affordable childcare, addiction counselling and debt advice
  • establishing a five-acre campus in Easter Ross to offer training in sustainable food production, promote zero waste and deliver courses focused on tackling food poverty and poor mental health

Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur said: “These innovative, grassroots schemes have been developed within communities to address local needs.

“Scottish Government support will help provide services like employment training, affordable childcare, mental health support and addiction counselling. Derelict landmarks will be redeveloped and new buildings created.

“By working in partnership with residents and local authorities, we are helping communities to support themselves and develop fair, green and prosperous economies which accelerate progress towards net zero emissions.

“The Scottish Government wants to create a fairer society by enabling more people to benefit directly from the wealth generated by local communities. That is why we are introducing Community Wealth Building legislation during this Parliamentary term – to fundamentally transform what our economy is for and how it operates.”

COSLA’s Environment and Economy spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor said: “The announcement today shows the strength of the RCGF and the commitment by local government to regenerating communities.

“In this uncertain time of inflation, rising energy costs and increased demand on services, the fund demonstrates what can be achieved in our towns, cities, villages and islands when support is focused on social and economic renewal.

“From tackling the mental health crisis to food poverty, affordable childcare to climate change, this fund goes beyond what we traditionally think of as regeneration thanks to the ambition and innovative thinking of communities across Scotland.”

 Since 2014-15, the RCGF has funded more than 200 projects which have supported or generated thousands of jobs, repurposed and returned to use landmark buildings in town centres, and created numerous new commercial spaces and multi-use community facilities.

RCGF funding applications are invited annually from all 32 local authorities and Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company, as part of a two-stage process. 

An independent Investment Panel agrees recommendations to Ministers and COSLA on projects to be funded during the forthcoming financial year. Applicants must detail how projects will help meet net zero ambitions and reduce carbon emissions.

The Scottish Government plans to introduce Community Wealth Building legislation during this Parliamentary term to accelerate progress on transforming local economies and fundamentally reshaping how communities operate.

Details of the successful projects can be found here – Capital investment for regeneration – Regeneration – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Lead Applicant Project Total Grant
Aberdeen City CouncilInchgarth Community Regeneration Hub£1,900,000
Argyll & Bute CouncilAros Waterfront Development – Outdoor Activity Hub£403,500
Argyll & Bute CouncilNonhebel Light Industrial Park Expansion (Nonhebel Park Phase 2)£654,000
City of Edinburgh CouncilPeffer Place Business Park£2,250,000
Clyde GatewayShawfield GRID Campus£3,350,000
Comhairle Nan Eilean SiarCalanais 2025£2,000,000
Comhairle Nan Eilean SiarLoch Carnan£150,000
Dumfries and Galloway CouncilLockerbie Old School Wellbeing and Enterprise Centre£2,623,000
East Ayrshire CouncilNew Cumnock Re-use Hub£1,800,000
East Ayrshire CouncilTake A Bow Opportunity Centre£1,341,615
East Dunbartonshire CouncilCampsie Memorial Hall Revitalisation Project£950,000
Glasgow City CouncilRefiring The Pipe Factory£1,965,354
Highland CouncilGro For You – Community Innovation Campus – Tain£450,000
Highland CouncilJohn O’Groats Mill: A Power for the Community£1,500,000
Highland CouncilKnoydart Bunkhouse£560,000
Moray CouncilLossiemouth Community Hub£270,200
North Lanarkshire CouncilMotherwell Football Club Community Trust – The Well Hub£215,000
South Ayrshire CouncilMaybole New Stables Lane Scheme£959,807
South Ayrshire CouncilPinwherry and Pinmore Community Development Trust – Primary School Redevelopment£197,633
South Lanarkshire CouncilCarluke High Mill, Phase 1£1,199,383
South Lanarkshire CouncilCarnwath Community and Business Enterprise Hub£275,000
South Lanarkshire CouncilLarkhall Business Micro Hub£300,000
West Lothian CouncilScottish Co-operative Discovery & Activity Centre£1,400,000
  £26,714,492

COSLA: Scottish Government budget settlement simply not good enough

‘FUNDING REALITY IS A REAL-TERMS CUT’

Local Government spending decisions are being increasingly directed by Scottish Government, and the way Local Government finances are presented by Scottish Government is potentially confusing for the general public.

This can lead to raised expectations and lack of clarity in our communities about the reality of what is now possible to deliver on the ground, COSLA said today (Monday 16th January).

COSLA was clear that this year we needed and asked for a £1bn extra in real terms however we have ended up with £38million and that this was simply not good enough.

COSLA added that to avoid socially harmful cuts, the finances of Local Government need early and proactive discussions to avoid an annual public argument about the reality of what can and cannot be afforded by Councils.

Councils also need more freedom to address local priorities and the ability to focus on improving outcomes.

Commenting today, COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said:  “Given the significance of our council services to the lives and livelihoods of everyone across Scotland, communities deserve clear and consistent facts in relation to Local Government finance rather than a yearly debate on how much money is or is not available.  

“All our communities are concerned about is the level of service they can expect that there is support for the most vulnerable and want to ensure their local environment looks and feels as good as it can – all of these things are under threat because of successive years of underfunding.

“Last week saw the publication of the Accounts Commission’s report on the health of council finances. The report makes it clear that councils are going to have to take very tough decisions over the next few years to balance the books, given the financial pressures they face.

“Responding to the Accounts Commission report, Scottish Government has quoted both real and cash terms increases of £2.2 bn between 2013-14 and 2022-23, but this is contradictory.

“We owe it to our communities to be clear, consistent and transparent about the starting point and how much less, in reality, councils have to spend year on year on the services that our communities rely on.

“In 2013-14, the Local Government funding settlement was worth £10.3 bn. Looking to 22-23 the Scottish Government provided £12.5 bn. This does equate to a £2.2 bn cash increase. However, that increase is heavily ring fenced and directed funding for core services and local priorities has stayed the same.

“The reality of having the same amount of money this year as 10 years ago for core services is a real terms cut. As well as increasing costs, this money is also now required to deliver more services than it was 10 years ago – Scotland’s population has increased, the number of households has gone up, COVID has left a legacy of support needs for the most vulnerable and as people live longer, their care needs have become more complex. This is just a snapshot of the demands being faced by councils, not to mention inflation and energy costs.

“For 2023-24, Scottish Government has stated that councils have seen a “£570m increase in their budgets” but the reality is, that only £38m of this can go towards pressures such as inflation, pay and service demand with the rest is for policy commitments that are already in the system, for example £100m to meet Real Living Wage commitments in social care.

“To put this into perspective, a 1% increase in pay across the Local Government workforces equates to around £100m. £38m will not go very far, especially when combined with energy price hikes, supporting the most vulnerable and our commitments to tackle the climate emergency.

“This year, demand for services like social care is at an all-time high but given the range of pressure facing councils, they simply don’t have the resources they need to work towards keep people out of hospital.

“Each day during winter, there is quite rightly a focus on getting people out of hospital to free up beds– currently councils support just over 97% of patients to be discharged without delay.

“The problem is not just getting people out of hospital but stopping them going in – councils simply don’t have the resources they need to provide the care packages or the interventions that prevent ill-health.

“COSLA’s key concerns are not only the socially harmful impact of cuts on our communities, but the way in which Local Government finance has been presented to them. The messaging is that there is more money for essential services each year despite this not being the case with councils asking communities about where they want to see cuts and reductions if essential services, like schools, roads, waste collection, child and adult protection, environmental health and social care are to continue to be delivered, every day of every year.”

Teachers announce 22 days of strike action as pay dispute escalates

The EIS has announced 22 additional days of strike action in an escalation of the dispute over teachers’ pay.

This is in addition to the previously announced 16-day programme of rolling strike action, set to begin in schools across the country next week. EIS members have previously taken three days of national strike action – one in November and two in January – in the continuing campaign for a fair pay settlement for the year 2022.

The EIS Executive Committee met yesterday and agreed a programme of additional strike action that will include two days of national strike action in all schools and sectors on 28 February and 1 March, followed by a rolling programme of strikes for 20 days between 13 March and 21 April.

Over the rolling strike period, each local authority area will be impacted by three consecutive days of strike action, with one day of strike action in all schools bookended on either side by one-day strikes in primary and secondary schools.

Commenting following the meeting of EIS Executive Committee, General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The programme of additional strike action, agreed today, is a direct response to the inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) on teacher pay.

“After a year of dither, delay and disingenuity from the Scottish Government and COSLA, Scotland’s teachers have simply had enough.

“The recent days of strike action by Scotland’s teachers have succeeded in bringing COSLA and the Scottish Government back to the negotiating table – but they have yet to put a single extra penny onto that table.

“Scotland’s teachers rejected a sub-inflationary 5% offer six months ago, and little or no progress has been made in negotiations since. The prospect of 22 additional days of strike action, on top of the 16 days of rolling action set to begin next week, should signal clearly to the Scottish Government and COSLA that they must now act with urgency.

“Our members are resolute and determined to secure a fair pay settlement, which both properly reflects their value and also takes account of the soaring cost of living.”

Talks with COSLA on Thursday produced no improved pay offer.

School Strikes: time running out to avert further action next week

Virtually every state Secondary school in Scotland closed yesterday teachers continue to strike in pursuit of a fair pay settlement.

Following Tueday’s highly successful strike in the primary sector, Secondary teachers and associated professionals turned out in huge numbers on picket lines and at demonstrations and rallies right across Scotland.

Amongst the demonstrations yesterday was a rally of teachers outside Bute House in Edinburgh, the official residence of the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Commenting on Wednesday’s strike action, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: “Following Tuesday’s show of strength from primary teachers, today it is Scotland’s secondary teachers and associated professionals who are on strike and demanding that the Scottish Government and COSLA pay attention.

“Teachers really do not want to be out in the streets – in the cold, wind and rain – to seek a fair pay increase, but have been forced into this position by the inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA on teacher pay.

“After dragging the negotiating process out for the best part of a year, the Scottish Government and COSLA only have themselves to blame for the situation we find ourselves in today.”

Ms Bradley added, “For six months, we have seen little or no progress in negotiations, with the Scottish Government and COSLA only reheating an old, already rejected offer, and attempting to sell it to teachers as new, fresh and appealing.

“Scotland’s teachers haven’t been fooled by the spin, and are now taking the only option that remains – the withdrawal of their labour – to seek a better, fairer offer on pay.

“It is only within the last week, with the second round of strike action looming, that we have seen some small signs that the Scottish Government and COSLA are prepared to work towards making an improved offer.

“Should a new, improved and credible, offer arrive in sufficient time, this will be considered by the EIS and our sister teacher unions in the hope that further strike action, scheduled to commence next week for 16 consecutive days, may yet be avoided.”

New Year, new round of school strikes

INDUSTRIAL ACTION IN SCHOOLS NEXT WEEK

Industrial action in schools next week: all primaries closed on Tuesday 10 January, all secondaries closed on Wednesday 11 January, special schools are also affected.

Full details incl. nurseries and free school meal payments here:

https://edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/15311/school-closures—letter-to-parents-and-carers

The EIS has said that the New Year’s resolution for both the Scottish Government and COSLA must be to pay Scotland’s teachers fairly by coming back with a greatly improved pay offer.

Scotland’s teachers have not received a pay rise for the year 2022, despite being due for a pay increase in April.

Commenting as schools broke up for the Christmas holidays, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “As 2022 comes to a close, Scotland’s teachers are still waiting for a pay settlement that should have been paid to them in April. What Scotland’s teachers have been offered by the Scottish Government and COSLA amounts to a record real-terms pay cut of up to 11% in a single year.

“This is in the context of the value of teachers’ pay dropping by a massive 20% since 2008. It is little wonder that teachers voted so overwhelmingly for strike action, and remain determined to stand firm against the unprecedented pay cuts that have been offered.”

Ms Bradley continued, “Having taken one day of strike action in November, EIS members will resume a programme of strike action in the New Year. We have offered every opportunity to the Scottish Government and COSLA to settle this dispute, but they have stubbornly failed to take advantage of those opportunities.

“Reheating old offers and repeating tired spin is not going to fool Scotland’s teachers, and it is not going to resolve this dispute or end the ongoing programme of strike action. Neither teachers nor the public believe the claims that Scottish teachers are better paid than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK and internationally – in England the top of the pay scale is higher than in Scotland, and 14 OECD countries sit above Scotland on the league table of teachers’ pay.

“The only OECD league table on teachers’ conditions that Scotland has climbed is the one which quite shockingly shows that Scotland has the third worst record in the world when it comes to excessive class contact hours.

“Rather than Scottish Government spin, only a substantially improved, fair and credible offer can end this dispute and let teachers focus fully on teaching young people rather than having to fight for a fair wage.”

Ms Bradley added, “The Scottish Government and COSLA must do better. They owe it to Scotland’s teachers – the majority of them women – and Scotland’s pupils to end this dispute by committing to pay Scotland’s teachers a fair pay increase. This is about pay justice and gender pay justice.

“Teachers worked tirelessly as key workers throughout the pandemic, often putting their own health at risk to ensure the best possible education for Scotland’s young people amidst very difficult circumstances. Now, in the early stages of education recovery, teachers want to be in the classroom supporting pupils. But, as the cost-of-living soars, teachers deserve and expect an appropriate increase in their pay – not a deep real-terms pay cut, as they have consistently been offered.

“Education must be a top priority for government and for local authorities, and that means investing in Education, including investing in teachers, to ensure the best possible educational experience for all of Scotland’s young people.

“Scotland has a stated commitment to reducing the gender pay gap and to being a Fair Work nation by 2025. Having made these commitments and as the new year dawns, it has to be time for the Scottish Government and COSLA to resolve to offer a fair pay settlement to all of Scotland’s teachers.”

Letter_to_Parents_and_Carers_4Jan23Download

Agreement on social rents for 2023-24

Landlords announce plans for average increases

Ministers have reached an agreement with social landlords on below-inflation rent increases for the next financial year.

Organisations representing social landlords have announced their members’ plans for average rent increases for 2023-24, which will keep rents significantly below private market levels.

Under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Act 2022, rents are effectively frozen in the social rented sectors until 31 March 2023. Decisions on future plans for the private sector rent freeze, as well as other measures contained in the Act, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie said: “Our emergency legislation has given people – whether they rent in the private or social rented sector – reassurance within their current tenancies through the worst of the winter, even as their other costs have been rising.

“We recognise the enormous pressures households are facing, and by making this announcement now we aim to give social tenants advance notice, and confidence that any rent increase will be well below inflation.

“The statements of intent from the social rented sector, based on consultations with tenants, will keep rents affordable while allowing social landlords to continue investing in essential services such as home improvements and maintenance.”

Councillor Maureen Chalmers, COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, said: “This is good news for Local Authority tenants from Scotland’s Council Leaders today.

“Council Leaders recognise the severe financial crisis many of our tenants and households are facing and have acted decisively to provide some assurance,despite the financial challenges Scotland’s Councils face.

“Leaders recognise that the very high rates of inflation around the costs of heating and food disproportionately affect those on lower incomes and are acutely aware of the proportion of individuals’ income that is spent on accommodation in the rented sector and that this can vary considerably.

“In balancing the wide range of competing factors, Leaders with housing stock will seek to reach agreement with tenants over any increase in rents for the year 2023 – 24.  Councils consultative arrangements would normally allow them, subject to approval of local governance structures, to raise rents annually to meet rising costs.  

“During these difficult times, as providers of social housing and Gypsy/Traveller pitch or site provision, we intend to keep the rental and fee increases to an average of less than £5 a week across the country.

“Collectively, whether we are directly landlords or not, we urge all landlords setting rents in 2023-24 to adopt a similar consultative approach with their tenants, many of whom will be affected by the on-going crisis.”

Sally Thomas, Chief Executive at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), said: “We welcome the fact that Scottish Government has worked closely with the sector, to understand the evidence and avoid unintended consequences of this legislation, and to find a collaborative way forward.

“Investing in good quality, warm homes for social rent is crucial to tackling poverty in Scotland and protecting new and existing tenants from the increasing cost of living.”

Parents back funded Early Learning and Childcare

Independent survey shows benefits to children and families

The vast majority of parents using Scottish Government-funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) are satisfied with its quality, according to new research.

In an independent survey with more than 8,000 respondents, 97% of parents and carers with a three to five-year-old said they had accessed funded ELC places since August 2021 – and of those, 97% were satisfied with the quality of provision.

A total of 88% of those with a three to five-year-old were satisfied that they could use their funded ELC hours in a way that meets their family’s needs.

The main reasons parents and carers said they used ELC were to benefit their child’s development, confidence, independence and learning.

Survey respondents also valued the opportunities that funded ELC gave them to work, look for employment or to undertake education and training. Others reported that it alleviated stress and meant they had more time for themselves and their families.

Across Scotland, all three and four-year-olds and two-year-olds who need it most can access up to 1,140 hours of funded ELC a year. If families paid for the 1,140 hours themselves, it would cost them around £5,000 per eligible child per year.

In 2023-24, the Scottish Government will invest around £1 billion through local government in funding for the 1,140 hours offer.

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “I am really encouraged to see such a high level of satisfaction among parents with the quality of the funded Early Learning and Childcare they have received.

“Scotland is the only part of the UK where all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds can access up to 1,140 hours of funded ELC a year. As this independent survey demonstrates, funded high-quality ELC brings a range of benefits to families, including helping children’s educational development and supporting parents’ ability to work and find employment.”

COSLA Children and Young People spokesperson Councillor Tony Buchanan said: “I welcome the publication of this report, which provides valuable insights into parents’ use of, and views on, Early Learning and Childcare provision in Scotland.

“The findings clearly show the significant impact that the increased entitlement to 1,140 hours of funded ELC is having, and indicate high levels of satisfaction and positive experiences amongst those parents who responded to the survey, including in relation to flexibility, accessibility, and quality of provision.  

“Local Government is committed to continuing to work with our partners to ensure that funded ELC provision works for parents, carers, and children, including considering how remaining challenges might be addressed.”

parents-views-use-early-learning-childcare-scotland-2022Download

Parents’ views and use of Early learning and Childcare in Scotland