Tag: COSLA

Time to get ready for Winter

‘No complacency’ message after two mild winters

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Two consecutive relatively mild winters appear to have made people in Scotland less worried about severe weather incidents, according to new research.

The research, commissioned by the Scottish Government and the British Red Cross, has found that 40 per cent of Scots surveyed said that they were concerned about emergencies caused by treacherous weather conditions, down from almost half of those questioned a year ago.

The survey also found:

• almost nine out of ten car owners believe they are prepared for an emergency, largely because three-quarters carry an ice-scraper and de-icer.

• seven per cent had experienced an extreme weather emergency in the past year, with higher levels in rural areas. Of these, two-fifths claimed they got together with neighbours to help them cope.

Launching this year’s ‘Ready for Winter?’ campaign yesterday, Scottish Government Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “If there is anything recent winters have shown us it is that Scottish weather is unpredictable.

“In the last five years, most parts of Scotland have been affected by severe weather ranging from snow and freezing temperatures to high winds and flooding, and we also saw the terrible impact of flooding in south-west England last winter. While extreme weather can happen at any time of year, winter remains the time of greatest risk.

“The unpredictability of weather patterns means we cannot simply hope that we will miss the worst of it. While we can’t stop the weather causing disruption, we can be well prepared to cope with it.

“Our annual winter preparedness campaign reminds us of this and the simple actions we can all take to get ready: in the home, before a journey, at our place of work and in our communities. This will serve us well not just throughout the winter months, but all year round and in a range of emergency situations.

“I’m delighted the campaign is again being run in partnership with the British Red Cross and will be supported by a variety of other partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors in Scotland.”

snowDavid Miller, Director of the British Red Cross in Scotland, said: “Making sure you are prepared now for winter can make a huge difference when extreme weather hits.

“At the Red Cross we know that severe weather, including snow and floods, can have serious consequences. However, with a few simple steps you can make yourself and others ready for the disruption it can bring.

“You can prepare an emergency kit for your home and car, jot down your emergency phone numbers and check on any neighbours, family or friends to see if they need any help. You can also make sure you know what the plan at your workplace is.

“Each year the Red Cross helps people across Scotland cope with the effects of severe weather and this winter, as always, we’ll be prepared and ready.”

COSLA President Councillor, David O’Neill added: “COSLA is delighted to once again be working in partnership with the Scottish Government and British Red Cross to launch the ‘Ready for Winter?’ campaign. COSLA would urge people to be aware of the simple measures they can take to make sure they are prepared should severe weather affect Scotland.

“COSLA is involved in reaching out to local councils throughout Scotland to ensure they have appropriate contingency plans in place to minimise the impact on public services should Scotland experience any form of severe weather this winter.”

Poll Tax arrears collection to be scrapped

New law will prevent pursuit of hated tax

polltaxThe Scottish Government plans a new law to stop councils pursuing people for historic Poll Tax debts, First Minister Alex Salmond has confirmed – but the First Minister’s unexpected announcement has not been met with universal joy … 

The Community Charge, to give it’s official name,was a system of taxation introduced to replace rates, using a head count instead of property values to calculate how much taxpayers should pay. The controversial tax was introduced in Scotland in 1989 – a year prior to its introduction in England and Wales – but was widely discredited, caused mass public protests and was finally abolished after only four years in 1993.

The Scottish Government’s move comes amid calls that the electoral register – currently at record levels because of the unprecedented engagement with the democratic process through last month’s referendum – should not be used to identify and pursue Poll Tax arrears.

Legislation will be introduced in the Scottish Government’s forthcoming legislation programme that will mean councils will no longer have the ability to collect Poll Tax arrears, but will be compensated for outstanding amounts in line with current collection rates.

The move comes as the collection rate for outstanding arrears has fallen steadily, to the point that it totalled less than £400,000 in Scotland last year.

Mr Salmond said yesterday: “The Poll Tax was a hated levy, which poured untold misery on communities across Scotland. It was a hugely discredited tax, even before it was brought in – and it was rightly consigned to history just four years after its introduction in Scotland.

“It is therefore not appropriate for councils to use current electoral records to chase arrears from decades ago. The electoral register should not be used to collect debts from a defunct tax – something which is even more important given the unprecedentedly high levels of democratic engagement we have seen recently.

“The amount of Poll Tax arrears which have been collected by councils across Scotland has fallen to near negligible levels in recent years, from around £1.3 million in 2009-10 to less than £400,000 in the most recent financial year.

“We will ensure that local authorities are properly compensated in line with current collection rates in respect of outstanding amounts and ensure that they are not out of pocket.

“It is, of course, quite proper for councils to use current information to assess current Council Tax liability. Unlike the long dead, discredited Poll Tax, the Council Tax is a live levy which forms a key part of local authorities’ finances.

“We have frozen the Council Tax since 2007 and our Council Tax Reduction scheme currently protects over 500,000 of our most vulnerable citizens from increased liabilities following the UK Government’s abolition of the Council Tax Benefit.

“This issue also highlights the need to seek the power from Westminster to control the electoral register, specifically to remove the ability of the register to be sold to private debt collectors.

“After 25 years it is high time that the Poll Tax is finally consigned to the dustbin of history.”

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However unpopular the Poll Tax was, not everyone agrees with an ‘amnesty’ for non-payers. The Conservatives say the announcement is little more than a ‘Tax Dodger’s Charter’ and it’s fair to say that local authorites umbrella body COSLA is less than impressed.

COSLA President Councillor David O’Neill accused Mr Salmond of making ‘a very odd announcement’ in relation to the writing off of historical poll tax debt.

Councillor O’Neill said: “Whatever you think of the substantive issue, in my time as COSLA President this is one of the oddest decisions ever to have come out of the Scottish Government.

“Just look at the hard facts.  Up until two days ago the Policy of Local Government, fully backed up by Audit Scotland Reports and the Scottish Government, was crystal clear.  Scotland’s Councils were under a very strict obligation to collect every penny of outstanding debt owed to us.

Indeed, we have been told in the past that until we did this, we should not be asking for any additional money from Government.  In all of our negotiations with them, there has been a constant requirement from Government for Councils to get all collection rates on tax debt up to levels of the highest performing councils in Scotland.  The view being that if we did that we would go a long way to solving our financial difficulties.

“It seems very odd that now we have an improved tool at our disposal in the form of an expanded electoral register that may help us maximise collection rates, it is the self-same Government that tells us they are going to legislate immediately to prevent us from using it.

“There has been a complete absence of any consultation on this.  At the moment, the Scottish Government have no idea how many councils are making part or total use of the expanded electoral register, they don’t know how many individuals in the community would be affected by this, they don’t know whether these people now have the resources to pay the debt and they don’t know how much additional resource this might provide local government with.

‘Despite all that, they are rushing with obscene haste to new legislation.

“The one thing we do know is that from the government’s own figure it is around £425 million of public money which the government is intent on making it more difficult to collect.  It seems that that the Government saying that they are absolutely in favour of a policy only as long as there is absolutely no prospect of it being implemented.

“COSLA is very sensitive to the requirement to increase political engagement and electoral registration but everybody recognises that becoming involved in the political process demands responsibility as well as rights.  In COSLA’s view, you cannot have one without the other.  If that is not an accepted principle, we are very worried about the precedent that writing off this debt would create.”

A Tax dodgers charter?  Should Poll Tax debt be written off or should non-payers be pursued? Can we pick and choose what taxes we pay? Let us know! 

Task Force to tackle delayed discharge

Task force set up but Lothian figures more than double

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The NHS and Scotland’s councils are to work together to tackle the growing numbers of delayed discharges but opposition politicians argue that more urgency is needed to address the issue. NHS Lothian is one of four health board to miss discharge targets.

While delayed discharge has fallen by a third since 2006, the latest statistics show this continues to be challenging, with a significant number of people delayed due to a lack of availability of care in the community.

Health Secretary Alex Neil wrote to local authority and health board partnerships earlier this week, urging them to use the £5 million funding recently announced by the Scottish Government to address the reasons for the delays.

Mr Neil said: “We have come a considerable way in tackling this problem, with comparable figures for 2006 showing three times as many people were delayed for over four weeks.

“However, it’s disappointing that some patients are still delayed for lengthy periods in our hospitals. Remaining in hospital, when clinically ready to leave, is frustrating for individuals and can pose challenges in ensuring effective patient flow through the hospital.

“Integration of health and social care will be key to driving down delays, and we are working with COSLA to deliver integration for the benefit of people across Scotland. We recently announced an additional £5 million to be targeted at the areas with the greatest challenges. This money will be used by seven NHS and local authority partnerships to reduce delays and release hospital capacity.

“Legislation to implement health and social care comes into full force in April next year, but we need not wait to make progress. COSLA and I are agreed that we need immediate improvements and NHS Boards and local authorities recognise the need to work together now to make sure people do not have wait in hospital any longer than is necessary.”

care (2)Cllr Peter Johnston, COSLA’s Health and Well-being Spokesperson, added: “I’ve just visited a District General Hospital in my own Health Board area and know from that just how hard nurses, clinicians, social workers and managers are working to facilitate the transfer of people waiting for discharge back to their own homes or into a care home. This is a priority of the first order – we know that for older people in particular, a delay of longer than 72 hours can have an impact on their health and well-being.

“We in COSLA are determined to make further progress on discharge arrangements. We are fully committed to the work of the task force, and believe that innovation in discharge protocols and in commissioning practice will deliver some of the progress needed. This will all take place within emerging health and social care partnerships and we hope to get to a position in time where service redesign can build community capacity to ensure that people are only admitted to hospital because they really need to be there and are then discharged speedily back to their own homes.”

Lothian Green MSP Alison Johnstone believes the government must step up its response to the problem of delayed discharges in the region’s hospitals.

New figures show the number of patients having to wait longer than four weeks to be discharged from hospitals in Lothian has more than doubled in a year. In July this year there were 83 such patients, compared to 39 in April and 37 in July last year.

Alison Johnstone initially raised the issue of delayed discharges with Health Secretary Alex Neil in parliament back in May.

Commenting on the latest figures, she said: “While I appreciate we won’t see a solution overnight it’s a real concern that these figures aren’t improving. I have raised the issue with the health secretary and I’m aware of some distressing and frustrating situations in Lothian region affecting elderly people and their families.

“The Scottish Government and local authorities must step up their action to ensure patients who are ready to be looked after out of hospital aren’t left waiting. We must ensure adequate care home places and care-at-home packages so that people are treated with respect and that our health service resources are being used to best effect.”

RIEd

Social housing cash boost

Local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs) are to benefit from a £44 million increase in housing subsidies, allowing them to create more social housing.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the increase, which will give councils and housing associations an extra £16,000 per home, on the same day as the publication of a report on Affordability, Financial Capacity and Subsidy Rates, which recommended introducing higher subsidy levels.

The report was put together by a short life working group, with representatives from the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum (GWSF), the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

Councils currently receive up to £30,000, towards the cost of building a new home, while RSLs get around £42,000.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I would like to extend my thanks to the working group for their hard work and commitment on this report. We are aware of the pressures being faced by councils and housing associations, and support the recommendations of the working group in full, including increasing subsidies by £16,000. Housing is and will remain a priority for this Government and today’s announcement of £44 million in funding brings our total budget for affordable housing to nearly £900 million over three years. Increasing the supply of affordable housing is a vital part of our efforts to build a better and fairer Scotland.

“We are now two years into our five year target of delivering at least 30,000 additional affordable homes and we are collectively making good progress towards making this target, with last month’s housing statistics showing that we have already completed almost 12,900 additional affordable homes. In announcing the end of Right to Buy last week I also signalled our commitment to ensuring that we keep and make the best use of our existing housing stock.

“Housing is central to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and I am confident that the additional resources announced today will strengthen our commitment to provide the people of Scotland with high quality, sustainable homes that they can afford and which meets their needs.”

COSLA President Cllr David O’Neil said: “COSLA is pleased that councils and housing association will receive an increase in the development subsidy for social housing. This increase will assist councils in responding to local housing need. It will create greater confidence amongst councils to plan for a sustainable new build social housing programme. This in turn will provide a boost to local economies and employment opportunities.”

Susan Torrance, Policy Manager for Investment, Asset Management and Development, who represented SFHA on the Working Party said: “I am delighted that the recommendations of the Working Party have been approved by the Scottish Government, representing as it did, the unanimous views of all of us who are working to build social rented and affordable housing for those in need in Scotland. New homes are needed urgently and these measures will enable us to build with the right level of subsidy to ensure rents remain affordable to those working in low paid jobs and on low incomes.”

Jim Hayton, Policy Manager for the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO ) added: “ALACHO very much welcomes the announcement that subsidies for new social housing construction are to be increased by an additional £16,000 per home for councils and RSLs alike.

“There is a pressing need for social housing throughout  Scotland, and this increase will give councils and their partners much needed scope to plan and deliver sustainable social housing development programmes for their communities. We also commend Scottish Government for the inclusive manner in which the working group has been encouraged to develop its report and recommendations on this important issue.”

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£25m housing boost for disadvantaged communities

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and COSLA President Councillor David O’Neill today announced a £25 million fund which aims to help transform disadvantaged areas across Scotland.

The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), which has been developed in partnership with local authorities, will provide financial support to projects that will help to deliver large scale positive improvements to deprived areas. It will focus on projects that engage and involve local communities and those that can demonstrate the ability to deliver sustainable regeneration outcomes. The fund will be open to local authorities, urban regeneration companies and regeneration special purpose vehicles.

The Deputy First Minister and COSLA President announced the new fund during a visit to Govan Workspace in Glasgow – a project supported by the European Regional Development Fund involving the transformation of the 1670m2 derelict Fairfield Shipyard offices in Govan into 12 new workspaces for SMEs and social enterprises.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Investment in large scale regeneration projects is absolutely key for stimulating economic growth throughout Scotland. The development of this fund is a great example of how Scotland’s public bodies can work in partnership to deliver initiatives that help to create more jobs for Scottish people, while bringing our communities closer together and injecting new life into deprived and run down areas.

“Community involvement is integral to the success of the design and delivery of local economic and social regeneration initiatives. This government is absolutely clear about the contribution that regeneration makes to growing our economy and improving the life chances of Scotland’s people. I am pleased that COSLA have agreed to work with us on this initiative and that local authorities will play a fundamental role in delivery while ensuring local people are at the heart of the projects that will help to transform the spaces around them.”

Councillor David O’Neill, President of COSLA said: “Councils and their partners work at the heart of every local community and are uniquely placed to deliver regeneration outcomes with and for local communities. COSLA and Scottish Government via the creation of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund are helping to ensure the delivery of Scotland’s regeneration strategy has the biggest economic, social and environment impact possible on local communities.

“Communities want resources focused on delivering large scale regeneration projects which can also deliver wider impacts of job creation, clearing up land as well as regenerating buildings and infrastructure. We believe the fund as envisaged will deliver long term strategic and transformational change. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this fund at local level throughout Scotland over the next few years. Scotland’s identity is to a large extent local and so are people’s expectations, this fund will enable local authorities to deliver local communities expectations of the places they want to live in and be proud of for years to come.”

ScottishHosuingNews

 

Don’t blame us for Bedroom Tax – COSLA

Don’t shoot the messenger was the clear message from Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) President Councillor David O’Neill today ahead of the welfare system changes being introduced by the Westminster coalition government on 1 April. The COSLA President said that Scottish local government was bracing itself to deal with the devastating fallout which the welfare and benefit reforms would bring.

Councillor O’Neill also expressed his anger that it would be Scotland’s Councils who would be the ones left to pick up the pieces – despite them having nothing whatsoever to do with the introduction of the controversial reforms. The COSLA President added that this legislation would have a real and long term damaging effect on many of the most vulnerable in society and put even more strain on local government services that are already creaking under pressure.

Councillor O’Neill said: “It is ironic that the first batch of these welfare and benefit reforms come into force on April fools’ day, because believe me there is nothing remotely humorous about them. Make no mistake here – no blame whatsoever can be put at the door of Scotland’s Councils for either introducing these measures or for the devastating impact that this legislation is about to have on our communities. Our role in this is to manage the consequences in the way that does the least possible damage to our communities and that will be a very, very difficult task.

“COSLA as an organisation and I as President cannot stand idly by and allow local government’s reputation and the credibility of individual councils to take the hit for this because these welfare changes are not of our doing. No part of my speaking out on this issue should be seen as a suggestion that we do not embrace change or that we do not recognise the need for some change within the current system.

He went on: “I am simply pointing out to those who will be hardest hit by these changes that it is not their local council to blame. Indeed Councils are going to be hit themselves with the double whammy of the massive increase in people seeking our help at a time of diminishing resources. Sadly, what is actually being proposed in terms of welfare reform and the damage it will do is both extreme and ill thought out. The huge damage it will do to our communities is not something that COSLA can support, and nor should others.

“The UK Government is transferring cost and responsibility for the needs of people on benefit onto local government. It is impossible for Councils to subsidise the levels of cuts people will experience but we will do everything within our power to support the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Councillor O’Neill (pictured below) concluded: “We had hoped that the Coalition Government at Westminster were willing to work with us, and listen to some of these concerns. We had hoped that they would be reasonable and consider how to prevent the negative impact of these changes on councils, services and most importantly on people. That seems not to be the case.”

COSLA