COSLA says urgent action is needed to address the consequences of real term cuts to the core budgets of Scotland’s 32 Councils in recent years.
The call comes as Finance Secretary Kate Forbes prepares to lay out the government’s spending plans in the Scottish Budget on December 9.
COSLA says Local Government can no longer continue to be the ‘poor relation’ it has been in recent Budgets and that December 9 presents a perfect opportunity to reset Scottish public spending in a way that empowers councils to achieve their ambition for our communities.
Speaking at a virtual news conference in Edinburgh, the COSLA President, Councillor Alison Evison, said: “Enabling people to ‘Live Well Locally’ is a shared ambition across Scottish Government and Local Government, but the resources must be provided to deliver this at a local level in line with local democratic choice.
“Sadly cuts to Councils’ core budgets over recent years have not allowed us to fully realise this shared ambition.”
COSLA’s Vice President, Councillor Graham Houston, said: “The fact is that Scotland’s Councils are key to creating the conditions for people within our communities to ‘Live Well Locally’, whether that’s on a remote farm or in a city centre.
“People’s local environment has become even more important during the pandemic and Local Government must be empowered and funded properly to allow us to create the environment for people to ‘Live Well Locally.’ Recovery needs to start locally to tackle the key issues facing our communities and local leadership is needed for that.”
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, added: “Tackling the economic and health challenges created by the pandemic needs a local dimension – all the evidence and research backs this up.
“We fully support Scottish Government’s ambitions around economic transformation but that starts in every community.
“Local Government has been the poor relation of recent Budgets and our local knowledge and links need to be used fully before we are past the point of no return. Our communities are starting to show the neglect of an under-funded Local Government.
“Quite simply, what we need from this Budget is proper funding to provide the everyday services our communities need and deserve.”
Following a workforce meeting in George Square yesterday (Monday 8 November), Glasgow City Council cleansing workers demanded a fresh strike ballot against their employer over low pay.
It means a second wave of strikes could hit cleansing services in Scotland’s biggest city in the run-up to Christmas. Eight days of strike action conclude this evening at 23.59 hours.
Calls from the workforce come after talks this weekend between GMB and Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken, which secured commitments from the council to:
review the value of pay for all workers on the lowest grades (Grades 1,2 & 3 – an estimated 10,000 workers currently earning less than £20,000 a year) as part of the process to remove its discriminatory pay and grading system; and
pursue investment for cleansing infrastructure and resources to tackle the city’s waste crisis, alongside a range of new employee development and well-being measures to address management mistreatment of staff.
However, the council refused workers’ demands for a one-off “Glasgow Payment” for all workers on Grades 1, 2 and 3 as a means of addressing the cost-of-living crisis being faced now by many council workers in Scotland’s biggest city.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “It’s taken a strike to get Glasgow’s leadership in the room and acknowledge the council’s chronic low pay problems, the waste crisis in our communities, and the toxic management culture in the cleansing department.
“It is important to understand that strikes don’t happen by accident. They are a consequence of workers’ feeling undervalued, disrespected, and ignored for too long, and it’s clear that a few days of talks and the initial outcomes from this aren’t enough to remedy the impact of a decade of cuts.
“Our members in cleansing, like so many of their colleagues in other services like home care, school support, parks and gardens, and Glasgow Life, are the backbone of the city’s workforce but they are struggling on wages that simply do not make ends meet.
“It’s why our members have demanded a fresh ballot, which could mean a second wave of strikes in the run up to Christmas. They want more to be done to properly value key workers and to tackle the significant service and workforce challenges facing their city.
“That’s something the council, COSLA and ultimately the Scottish Government should reflect on today because it’s very clear this anger isn’t going away until these problems are confronted.”
Investment to tackle “loss and damage” from climate change
Funding to help some of the world’s most vulnerable communities recover from and build resilience against climate change will be announced as world leaders gather for COP26.
The Scottish Government’s Climate Justice Fund will provide £1 million to support a partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to help communities repair and rebuild from climate-related events, such as flooding and wild fires.
The partnership forms part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure COP26 empowers the most vulnerable to tackle structural inequalities.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will make the announcement at the Global Climate Assembly at a Green Zone event today, where she will set out Scotland’s intention to bridge the divide between those whose voices are rarely heard and those making the decisions.
The First Minister said: “Climate justice has to be at the heart of COP26 – and the Scottish Government is working to ensure that it provides a platform for unheard voices, including citizens, young people and those from the Global South.
“Through our work on climate justice, Scotland continues to proudly support nations which – despite having done the least to cause climate change – are already suffering its impact.
“We don’t have the resources of other western governments, but we can lead by example. And so I’m pleased to announce that not only are we doubling our climate justice fund to £24 million – we’re also entering into a partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to support communities and address loss and damage, supported by this £1 million investment.
“I hope this will galvanise other organisations to support the partnership – and show world leaders that where small nations lead they can follow, by making similarly ambitious commitments during COP26.”
The First Minister met with President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, yesterday to discuss a COP hub which will open in the country to connect Malawian youth and community leaders to events in Glasgow (top).
She also met the Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Mr Pham Min Chihn, at Bute House (above).
Glasgow’s cleansing service went on strike from 00.01am this morning.
Responding to the collapse of last ditch talks between GMB and Glasgow City Council late last night, , GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour said: “We met the council in good faith, offering a clear set of proposals to reset industrial relations and avoid strikes. The council rejected these proposals.
“We specifically offered heads of terms to work together to tackle the chronic and unacceptable problems caused by years of cuts, to urgently address the employer’s unresolved discriminatory pay system and outstanding equal pay liabilities, and back this with a commitment from the council that they would not use anti-trade union laws against their workers again.
“We also proposed the Scottish Government support this process, because if the fair work agenda is to have any credibility whatsoever, then Scotland’s biggest city should be the example of it rather than the opposite.
“Regrettably, the council refused this massive opportunity to move forward and strike action across the cleansing service will now begin, during which time our members will be balloted on the COSLA pay offer.”
GMB Scotland members employed by Glasgow City Council have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over their pay, which would see strikes across the city’s cleansing service and schools during the International Climate Conference, COP 26.
Pay talks with COSLA, the umbrella body that represents each of Scotland’s local authorities, have stalled, with the employer refusing to budge from an £850 flat rate offer to all local government workers – far short of the £2,000 pay claim that was submitted by the joint trade unions GMB, Unison & Unite.
Following a ballot of cleansing workers and school support staff across the country, Glasgow is the largest of 5 councils in Scotland that could see strike action as soon as November 1st.
96.9% of returned ballots in Glasgow were in favour of strike action.
GMB Scotland represents close to 900 workers in Glasgow’s refuse & cleansing service and a further 600 across Glasgow schools providing cleaning, janitorial and catering services.
GMB Glasgow Cleansing Convenor Chris Mitchell said:“Over the past 18 months throughout this awful pandemic, essential services across Scotland have been held together by an army of low paid workers.
“We were called key workers, even Covid heroes, but while politicians were happy to applaud us on Thursday nights, they’ve never put their hands in their pockets to pay us properly.
“The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow during COP 26, and our politicians now have a choice – will they fairly reward the frontline workers who got the country through the pandemic, or will they risk embarrassing the city and the country on an international stage?
“The message that our members have sent with this ballot result is clear. We are taking a stand for what we deserve, and we believe the people will stand with us.”
Scotland’s rail network will also be hit by strikes during the UN climate summit in Glasgow, the RMT union confirmed yesterday.
Recovery strategy to help those hardest hit by Covid
People who have suffered the most as a result of the pandemic will be at the heart of Scotland’s Covid recovery strategy, the Scottish Government says.
For a fairer future sets out the next steps in Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic, recognising that while the pandemic has affected every area of life in Scotland, those who were already struggling have been hardest hit by its effects.
The strategy aims to address systemic inequalities made worse by Covid, improve people’s wellbeing, and remobilise public services to be more focused on people’s needs, building on lessons learned during the pandemic.
Actions to achieve this will include upskilling and retraining opportunities for workers impacted by the pandemic and the transition to net zero, help for low income families most at risk of poverty, and locally-based mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people.
While the strategy is focused over the next 18 months, it includes a series of actions over the course of this Parliament to deliver substantial improvements in child poverty, make significant progress towards net zero, and secure an economic recovery that is fair and green.
Deputy First Minister and Covid Recovery Secretary John Swinney said: “The impacts of this pandemic have not been felt evenly with the most disadvantaged suffering disproportionately from the virus, and the social and economic effects of lockdown restrictions.
“For that reason, our recovery must go further than how life was before Covid. This strategy sets out how we will do that, working with local government, the third sector, and businesses large and small.
“It is the product of months of engagement with a variety of individuals and organisations representing sectors across the country, including the Citizen’s Assembly and the Social Renewal Advisory Board.
“The experience of the past 18 months has shown us what can be achieved when we look past traditional barriers to get the right service or support to people when they need it.
“By working together with the same energy, imagination, and urgency as we approached the pandemic, we can drive a recovery that delivers more for all of Scotland.”
COSLA President Councillor Alison Evison said: “I welcome the publication of this strategy and its vision, which has many parallels with the COSLA Blueprint.
“Covid-19 has had an immeasurable impact on communities across Scotland and although we continue to respond to the many challenges it presents, we must also take the necessary action to address inequalities in our society that have only worsened as a result of the pandemic.
“Local Government will be at the heart of recovery, just as we were in response to the pandemic. Recovery is a shared endeavour that requires us all to work together to address the areas of greatest harm resulting from the pandemic, and deliver an inclusive and green recovery for all of Scotland.
“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government to deliver on a collaborative approach to recovery that is at all times rooted in the needs of the people that we serve.”
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “The levels of poverty and inequality in Scotland made the impact of the pandemic so much worse than it might otherwise have been. Insecure and undervalued employment, social security benefits that were inadequate and ingrained inequality all meant that some communities bore the brunt of Covid.
“As we look towards the end of the pandemic, it is right that the Scottish Government prioritises a recovery that addresses these underlying inequalities. Focusing on the creation of a wellbeing economy, tackling poverty and investment in social security, housing and decent public services is to be welcomed. Delivering on these priorities and retaining this focus on addressing inequalities must drive our recovery to Covid.”
Louise Macdonald OBE, National Director of the Institute of Directors Scotland said: “A strong, sustainable wellbeing economy and a fair, equal society are interdependent. We welcome the clarity in this strategy that a thriving economy underpins a successful recovery, especially in making the difference for those greatest affected by poverty and inequality.
“Leaders from business and cross-sector organisations in communities in every part of Scotland have played a vital part in the response to the pandemic in a myriad of ways and it is that spirit of collaboration, innovation and purpose – through collective effort and shared vision – which will deliver this ambitions of this strategy.”
Andrew McRae, Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses Scotland said: “Scotland’s recovery from the Covid crisis won’t be possible without economic recovery.
“Smaller businesses have an impressive track record of creating jobs and healing communities after economic shocks – so they must be at the heart of implementing this welcome recovery plan.
“We’re looking forward to working with the Scottish Government to ensure delivery of these plans is designed with small and new start businesses, as well as the self-employed, front and centre.”
£10m to help people worst affected by pandemic to avoid eviction
Councils have been given £10 million to provide grants to tenants who have fallen behind on their rent as a result of the pandemic and are at risk of eviction.
The grants will help tenants who are struggling financially as a direct result of the pandemic, allowing them to reduce or pay off their rent arrears. They will be available to tenants in both the private and social rented sectors.
This is part of a package of measures available to local authorities to prevent homelessness, alongside Discretionary Housing Payments and advice on maximising income. The grants also come on top of the Scottish Government’s £10 million Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “We have been doing all we can to support tenants who are struggling as a result of the pandemic, and this latest funding takes our total housing support to almost £39 million.
“These grants will support tenants and landlords who are willing to work together to address rent arrears and agree a repayment plan to ensure the tenant is able to avoid eviction.
“Councils have substantial experience in supporting people who have fallen behind on their rent, and are therefore well placed to work with both tenants and landlords in making use of this grant fund. Anyone who has been financially impacted by the pandemic and needs help to avoid eviction should contact their local authority housing department to discuss their circumstances.”
Councillor Kelly Parry, COSLA Community Wellbeing spokesperson, said: “We are working closely with the Scottish Government to support tenants through the grant fund.
“The pandemic has resulted in some facing a significant loss of income which has resulted in a proportion of these developing rent arrears. The fund is limited and therefore will be targeted at those most at risk of eviction, but will allow local authorities, tenants and landlords to work together to stay in their homes and prevent homelessness.
“Councils have a lead role in supporting a fair and inclusive recovery. Enabling people to sustain their tenancies helps maintain their important community connections.”
Nearly £1.5million will be allocated to Edinburgh to help those in social and private tenancies at risk of becoming homeless.
The aim of the fund is to provide an additional tool for the Council to help save tenancies, create sustainable housing solutions for individuals and prevent homelessness, alongside its other initiatives in place.
This includes the Council’s Private Rented Service (PRS) Team, which looks to help private renters keep their existing tenancy or to move to either a new private or mid-market rent secure tenancy, and the ‘multi-disciplinary response’ team which helps Council tenants who are struggling to maintain their tenancy or falling into rent arrears.
In addition Edinburgh Help to Rent, which is a service the Council contracts Crisis to deliver, provides rent deposit guarantee bonds.
Under Scottish Government guidelines, local authorities have to allocate the Tenant Hardship Grant Fund by the end of this financial year (March 2022). The Council is currently assessing eligibility criteria in order to support those most at risk.
Councillor Kate Campbell, Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee said:“This money from the Scottish Government comes at a critical time. Between the cut in Universal Credit, the national insurance increase, the end of furlough, rocketing household fuel bills due to the energy crisis, and now the fuel crisis – households are being hit hard.
“We will use this money to help people who have fallen into rent arrears during the pandemic, to help prevent evictions, homelessness and the burden of debt being placed on vulnerable households. This is a lifeline that will help people to stay in their own homes.
“Our Private Rented Sector Team has stopped 427 households from becoming homeless in the last 18 months, while our multi-disciplinary response team is successfully supporting our council tenants who’ve fallen into arrears. This funding from the Scottish Government means we can do even more to prevent families and households becoming homeless.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee said:“The work being done by the Council and in collaboration with partner organisations like Crisis has already made a big difference to preventing people from becoming homeless. But there is still more that needs to be done with around 6,000 people currently homeless in our Capital.
“As we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it could become even more difficult to find suitable accommodation for everybody who needs it. So the work of our prevention teams will be more important than ever.
“We will be working to identify those most at risk without delay because many people are already in financial difficulty and it’s likely to get worse as winter weather and rising energy prices put more strain on household budgets.”
Nina Ballantyne, Citizens Advice Scotland Social Justice spokesperson, said: “The Citizens Advice network saw a real spike in demand for housing-related advice during the pandemic. Our analysis suggests almost 300,000 people in Scotland missed a housing payment last year because they ran out of money before pay day.
“We called for more support for tenants and are delighted to see this fund launch – we’d now encourage people to seek advice on what support is right for them and make use of all the options available.”
Local advice is available from Granton Information Centre. Telephone 0131 552 0458, 0131 551 2459 or email info@gic.org.uk
An independent review of the Scottish Government and COSLAs 10-year Autism Strategy has been published today.
The strategy, which comes to an end this year, set out with the vision that by 2021 autistic people would be “respected, accepted and valued by their communities and have confidence in services to treat them fairly so that they are able to have meaningful and satisfying lives’.
The review concludes: “After ten years, valuable resources have been created and new and additional services delivered. However, real change for many autistic people, both in how they engage with services and in how they are supported to live productive lives, is not as evident. To have a greater impact, the services and support need to have greater reach, become embedded and be sustained.”
This echoes the findings from the Cross-Party Group on Autism’s own 2020 review the ‘Accountability Gap’ which found (from a survey of 900) that 72% of autistic people and families did not have enough support to meet their needs across a number of areas including education, care and employment.
In the lead up to the May Holyrood Election National Autistic Society Scotland together with partners Scottish Autism and ENABLE Scotland campaigned under the banner of ‘Our Voice Our Rights’ for a Commissioner to promote and protect the rights of individuals and their families.
This resulted in a commitment in the SNP Manifesto to introduce a Commissioner as part of a Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill. Scoping work on this is due to begin shortly.
Nick Ward, Director of National Autistic Society Scotland, (above) said: “What is clear from today’s review of the Scottish Strategy for Autism is that autistic people and their families are still, after ten years, not getting the vital support that they need to live meaningful and fulfilled lives.
“The review echoes findings from last year’s ‘Accountability Gap’ report produced by the Cross-Party Group on Autism which found that while progress had been made, 72% of individuals and their families did not get enough support to meet their needs.
“Today’s review sets out some positive ways forward and we are delighted that Scottish Government has committed to establishing a Commissioner. We believe a Commissioner with robust powers to uphold rights, challenge bad practice and promote good will lever real change.”
Suzanne from Dunfermline was part of the ‘Our Voice Our Rights’ campaign and has an autistic son called Callum. She said: “Callum has a lot of challenges, he is constantly having to deal with sensory issues and sounds and he needs someone supporting him most of the time.
“It’s difficult for people to understand what he is saying and so we need to be with him when he is out to help as well as explain his compulsion to touch people.
“When Covid hit a lot of the services withdrew leaving us to deal with health education and social work issues. Over time that has got better but we’re still not receiving the level of support we had before the pandemic.
Suzanne (with Callum, above) added: “I think there needs to be a lot more joined up thinking, sometimes we end up going from service to service – there needs to be someone holding the system together, someone at a national level I can go to if there is an issue.
“My hope is that when Callum leaves school he doesn’t end up sitting in a day centre all the time and that there are opportunities for him. He loves buses and would love to be a bus driver. That may not be possible but working or volunteering in and around buses would be amazing for him.”
Scotland has become the first country in the world to embed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusive education across the school curriculum.
Focused on promoting equality, reducing bullying and improving the educational experiences of LGBT children and young people, subjects across age groups will now include LGBT identities, issues and history.
Support to help schools deliver this includes:
a website where school staff, parents, carers, children and young people can access information to support LGBT children and young people
a basic awareness e-learning course for education staff on LGBT inclusive education
a toolkit of LGBT inclusive education teaching resources
Parents, teachers, young people and LGBT organisations helped to develop the website, e-learning course and teaching resources.
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “I am proud to say that Scotland is leading the way as the first country in the world to embed LGBT inclusive education right across the curriculum. By doing so, we can help young people to reach their full potential and flourish in a diverse and inclusive society.
“The launch of this ground-breaking suite of resources for schools takes us another step forward in ensuring that our curriculum is as diverse as the young people who learn in our schools.
“The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, is determined to provide a fully inclusive education for Scotland’s children and young people.”
COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson Cllr Stephen McCabe said: “Improving inclusion in our schools is a priority for Local Government. We welcome the materials published today, which will assist schools, teachers and education staff to drive this important agenda forward, ensuring all children and young people receive the support they need.”
Time for Inclusive Education co-founder Jordan Daly said: “I experienced bullying and prejudice at school for being gay, and it had a detrimental impact on my confidence and wellbeing for some time.
“This new website, and the supporting resources, which have been co-developed with teachers across Scotland, will support teachers to take a proactive, educational approach to tackling prejudice. Most importantly, this work will empower young people and provide them with an opportunity I didn’t have at school – to feel valued, confident, and proud of who they are.”
National Parent Forum of Scotland Chair Margaret Wilson said: “We welcome the roll-out of LGBT inclusive education across the school curriculum.
“With other stakeholders, we have developed an information resource on LGBT inclusive education for parents and carers to help them to support their children and ensure they have a positive educational experience, using an approach underpinned by children’s rights, kindness and respect.”
GMB Scotland serves notice to councils over “derisory and unacceptable” pay offer
Nearly 10,000 school support and refuse and cleansing workers will be balloted for industrial action from next week, after GMB Scotland reps served statutory notice on councils yesterday against a “derisory” pay offer for 2021.
It follows a consultative ballot of GMB Scotland members across Scottish local government which delivered a 95 per cent rejection of COSLA’s £850 a year increase for staff earning up to £25,000 a year.
The ballot will run from Thursday 16 September to Thursday 7 October, with the prospect of strike action affecting school cleansing, janitorial services, refuse collections, and street sweeping from late October onwards.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Drew Duffy said:“COSLA’s offer amounts to little more than £15 a week more for our frontline workers in local government, it is derisory and unacceptable.
“The dither and delay on delivering proper value means they are still mired on pre-pandemic pay rates – there has been no “thank you” for these workers.
“Council and political leaders have said many times during this pandemic they value the work of our members, well it’s time they put their money where their mouth is.
“The threat of disruptive strikes in schools and community services is now likely, and unless COSLA chiefs table an improved offer the blame will lie with them.”
On World Suicide Prevention Day COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson @cllrStu is urging people to join the United to Prevent Suicide campaign – https://unitedtopreventsuicide.org.uk
Anyone struggling can find support from: Samaritans – 116 123
This week Edinburgh Police have been holding partnership outreach information events in an attempt to provide information on the support that is available to people affected by suicide and to highlight the importance of talking about suicide.
Yesterday at Cameron Toll Shopping Centre we were delighted once more to see so many organisations come together.
