council services – Page 2 – The NEN

Council braced for more cuts

‘Early grip’ of budget to ensure best value for residents

The City of Edinburgh Council has begun budget setting early in an extra effort to ‘futureproof the services which matter most to residents and deliver them more efficiently’.

A report published this week outlines high level proposals for how the council will ‘innovate to lower costs and provide best value for the people of Edinburgh’ when it sets its next budget.

As it is developed further, the Financial Strategy and Medium-Term Financial Plan will provide a forward look and action plan to address the city’s longer-term financial challenge – while staying true to Edinburgh’s core values, priorities, and commitments made in the council’s business plan.

With a focus on improving services where possible rather than reducing them, the initial proposals are based on:

An assumed Council Tax rise of at least 3 per cent;
A programme of internal change involving a new system to better support HR activities;
More efficient use of Community Transport;
Exploring new income and trading opportunities;
Making the best use of the council’s estate so that it has fewer but better buildings;
Managing contracts and partnerships more efficiently and at lower cost;
Driving down costs by embracing digital solutions.

This early planning comes just a few months after Councillors controversially agreed a Lib-Dem budget for 2023/24 set against a backdrop of real-terms reductions in core government grant funding.

Councillor Mandy Watt, Finance and Resources Convener, said: We’re proud of our commitment to making Edinburgh a greener and fairer city, and to getting the basics right. And we’re equally proud of our track record of strong financial management. This strategic approach prepares us for the challenges that we’ll face over the coming years.

“The work we do now will pave the way for protecting and enhancing our investment in Edinburgh’s future, which we’ve committed to in the council’s Business Plan. We need to make this investment, whilst also prioritising the day-to-day services residents say matter most to them right now.

“Local authorities have suffered a decade of continuous real term income cuts from central government and Edinburgh is no exception. In fact, Edinburgh remains the lowest funded council per head in Scotland, despite the unique pressures which come with being Scotland’s capital city – our projected population growth, the climate crisis, and our well documented housing shortage.

“The Scottish Government could do more to support Edinburgh. Fast tracking the Transient Visitor Levy, and allowing councils to decide what to use the income for, would make a huge difference to our finances.

“I know that financial planning can cause concerns, particularly amongst our workers, so I want to make it absolutely clear that I remain committed to the council’s longstanding approach to no-compulsory redundancies.

“A further report re-affirming this will be brought to a meeting of the Policy and Sustainability Committee in August and we will continue to engage with Trade Unions throughout the ongoing budget process.”

Council to trial Citizen Space initiative in Gorgie Dalry

A trial community contact project is running in Gorgie Dalry to make it easier for local people to reach the services and support that the Council offers.

Citizen Space at Tynecastle Community Wing is a test site that enables residents to access Council services in a convenient local setting.

The new trial team has been specially trained to help people there and then with Council services like ordering a new wheelie bin or informing of problems with local street lights. They can also link residents to the right community groups and other places they can get support.

If people would like help and advice with other things – such as housing, neighbourhood disputes or debt – the team will invite them for a longer discussion about how they can help.

The Council’s customer teams provide an important point of contact for residents looking to access Council services. Locality offices continue to offer an essential route for those seeking help and support.

The need to deliver more proactive services closer to people across the city is part of the Council’s 20-minute neighbourhood strategy. This will allow everyone to live well locally and meet most of their daily needs from within their own community by walking, cycling, wheeling or taking public transport.

Council Leader Cammy Day met with the team and Citizens Advice Edinburgh colleagues involved in the project on Tuesday to see their work in action.

Council Leader Cammy Day, said: “We want to make sure that everyone living in Edinburgh can easily reach the services and support that the Council offers. We’re working with our local partners and communities to plan and deliver services that meet everyone’s needs in a better way.

“Citizen Space at Tynecastle Community Wing provides exactly that – a new convenient and welcoming space that’s making it easier for people to use our services and receive advice.

“This is all part of our plan to support everyone’s wellbeing and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh. These local community hubs will bring daily services together for everyone to help create more social and liveable communities.”

The Citizen Space is a drop-in facility for residents to use as they need it, but the team is also regularly out and about in the area to speak with local people and see how they can help. Look out for them in their 20-Minute Neighbourhood team jackets.

‘Adding insult to injury’: COSLA fury over Scottish Govt interference

At a meeting in Edinburgh yesterday (Friday 27th January) Scotland’s Council Leaders expressed their extreme disappointment that the Cabinet had decided to make interventions in relation to minimum learning hours and pupil teacher ratio.

Council Leaders were clear that given the Scottish Budget for next year, there is a crisis in Local Government funding like never before and the reaction from Scottish Government so far does not reflect the crisis councils, and our communities are facing.

Council Leaders reiterated the limited options facing Local Government as a result of the Budget, now made worse by Scottish Government’s intentions around teacher numbers and the hours children spend in school.

Commenting in a joint statement COSLA Spokespeople Katie Hagmann (Resources) and Tony Buchanan (Children and Young People) said: “This is an unnecessary and unwanted attack and intervention on our democratic mandate as elected politicians in our own right. We are seeing potentially unworkable proposals foisted on us without any prior discussion or consultation with Local Government – proposals we will be seeking legal advice on.

“We believe the teacher census information, which can only ever be a single snapshot in time, does not present the whole picture. It does not reflect that the attainment gap is moving in a positive direction or that we have recruited between August- December 620 teachers permanently and a further 400+ on either a temporary or fixed term basis.

“We have already written to Scottish Government with robust evidence of the investment that councils have been making in teaching and pupil support staff. We’ve also highlighted the impact that the proposals will have across other council services, with cuts and job losses having to once again be taken from already hard pressed everyday essential service like roads, libraries, and waste.

“It is very disappointing that it has come to this, but we have been honest and upfront with Scottish Government throughout the Budget process. Our budget lobbying and in particular ‘Education SOS’ (attached) made clear the potential impacts on education services prior to the budget announcement, given the pressure of £1bn that exists for Local Government.

“This move will not stop councils from being forced to make reductions in the support we provide to children and young people. Local authorities will have to consider cutting pupil support staff, libraries, youth work and other vital services that support the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people.”

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.”

Thursday’s Scottish Budget set to prioritise three key areas

Helping families and services through the cost of living crisis

Eradicating child poverty, transforming the economy to deliver net zero and creating sustainable public services will be the key aims of the Scottish Budget 2023-24.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney warned relentless prioritisation was needed to tackle the combined impact of high inflation, the ongoing economic consequences of Brexit and the UK Government’s plans to reduce expenditure in future years, which are projected to reduce the Scottish Government’s funding under the Barnett formula from 2025.

He said the Budget would channel support to where it was most needed while beginning a process of reform to help public services face the future with strength and resilience.

Mr Swinney said: “Families, businesses and our public finances are under sustained economic pressure and the Scottish Government has acted decisively to provide what support it can within its limited resources.

“We have allocated £3 billion in 2022-23 to mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis, including targeted help such as increasing the game changing Scottish Child Payment to £25 per eligible child per week – a 150% increase within eight months.

“However, given the fiscal constraints of devolution, it is not possible to go as far as we would like and so the Budget will prioritise three areas – eradicating child poverty, transforming the economy to deliver net zero and creating sustainable public services.

“Difficult decisions are required and resources will be targeted where they are most needed and can secure maximum value from every pound spent.

“The economic challenges we face also require a fundamental change in the way we manage public spending. The Bank of England is predicting the longest recession for a century so this Budget will set in motion reforms that will place our finances and public services on a more sustainable and resilient footing for the future.

“This is a time for firm leadership and bold decision making. Steps we take now will help ensure Scotland emerges from the current crisis a stronger, fairer, greener country.”

The Scottish Budget 2023-24 will be presented to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, 15 December.

COSLA launched its campaign last week in advance of the Scottish Budget on 15 December – an ‘SOS call’ to Save our Services.

It is a rallying call, telling communities everything they need to know about the impact of the Scottish Government’s forthcoming budget on our council services, and our communities in the coming year.

COSLA says the SOS call reflects the extremely precarious financial situation in which Councils in Scotland find themselves, during a particularly challenging period. This is as a consequence of real-term cuts to the core budgets of Scotland’s 32 Councils over recent years.

The call comes ahead of the Deputy First Minister outlining the Scottish Budget on December 15^th but reflects the reality of what the government set out in its spending plans last May.

COSLA’s President Councillor Shona Morrison said: “There are many areas in which Local and Scottish Government work together for our communities and I fully appreciate that money is extremely tight – all Governments are having to cope with rising inflation and fuel costs

“However, with little room left to manoeuver, the Scottish Government’s spending plans as they stand will see Council services either significantly reduced, cut or stopped altogether. 70% of Local Government’s budget is spent on staffing, so it is inevitable that current spending plans will lead to job losses. The very serious impact of this scenario is that the critical work council staff do on prevention and early intervention will reduce significantly.

COSLA’s Vice President Councillor Steven Heddle said: “In May, the ‘flat cash’ plans looked difficult for us. Today, with prices increasing across the board, including energy costs, and inflation sitting at almost 10% and at risk of rising still further, Local Government is now on extremely dangerous ground.

“Make no mistake, what we will now face is Councils struggling to deliver even the basic, essential services that communities rely on. To put this into perspective, the estimated £1bn gap for councils in 23/24 is the equivalent of the entire budget for early learning and childcare across Scotland or 17,500 teachers. A funding gap of this magnitude will have an impact on all our communities, with the most vulnerable who rely on these services suffering the worst consequences.”

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann concluded: “We are at a crisis point like never before – the impact for communities is serious and needs to be reconsidered.

“The financial impacts for other parts of the public sector are also serious. When councils can’t focus spend on prevention, for example on preventing ill-health, services like the NHS will end up spending significantly more money when issues become more serious.

“Directors of Finance across Scotland’s Councils are sufficiently concerned about the financial sustainability of councils that they have written to the Deputy First Minister outlining their concerns.

“This really is an SOS call from Scotland’s Councils –people in communities across Scotland will be pulled into further poverty and uncertainty without adequate funding for the vital services that support them”.

COSLA-Budget-SOS-Dec-22 Download

You can find out more by downloading our Budget SOS Factsheet here.

The Scottish Budget 2023-24 will be presented to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, 15 December.

COSLA SOS ahead of Scottish Budget

LOCAL GOVERNMENT WARNS OF JOB LOSSES AND SERVICE CUTS

COSLA has launched its campaign in advance of the Scottish Budget on 15 December – an ‘SOS call’ to Save our Services.

The call comes ahead of the Deputy First Minister outlining the Scottish Budget on December 15^th but reflects the reality of what the government set out in its spending plans last May.

Speaking yesterday, COSLA’s President Councillor Shona Morrison said: “There are many areas in which Local and Scottish Government work together for our communities and I fully appreciate that money is extremely tight – all Governments are having to cope with rising inflation and fuel costs.

“However, with little room left to manoeuver, the Scottish Government’s spending plans as they stand will see Council services either significantly reduced, cut or stopped altogether.

“70% of Local Government’s budget is spent on staffing, so it is inevitable that current spending plans will lead to job losses. The very serious impact of this scenario is that the critical work council staff do on prevention and early intervention will reduce significantly.”

“A funding gap of this magnitude will have an impact on all our communities, with the most vulnerable who rely on these services suffering the worst consequences.”

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann concluded: “We are at a crisis point like never before – the impact for communities is serious and needs to be reconsidered.

You can find out more by downloading our Budget SOS Factsheet here.

UNISON: Council strikes go ahead following ‘derisory’ pay offer

UNISON, the largest union in local government, met yesterday to discuss COSLA’s latest 3.5% pay offer. The union unanimously agreed to reject this revised offer outright and voted overwhelmingly to continue with their strike plans in councils across Scotland.

UNISON rejected the offer as it has not sufficiently improved, falls far short of the Joint Trade Union’s claim (submitted in January) and falls far short of the current rate of inflation, which continues to rise.

The union also made the point that the offer falls far short of the offer made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have been offered a £1925 flat rate uplift, which equates to a 10.5% increase for those on the lowest wages.

Johanna Baxter, UNISON head of local government said: “This is another derisory pay offer. We are in a ridiculous position of both our employers and the Scottish Government agreeing this 3.5% pay offer is not nearly enough, but both are at logger heads about who should pay for it.

“Meanwhile council workers – over half earn less than £25k per year – are worrying about paying the bills. Inflation is predicted to rise to 13.5% and our members are offered a real-terms pay cut which will plunge more of them into debt.

“We have written to COSLA to tell them the strike continues in waste and recycling and we will confirm dates for strike action in schools and early years in the coming days.”

The City of Edinburgh Council has tweeted: ‘We’re expecting significant disruption to bin collections and street cleaning services due to strike action from Thursday 18 – Tuesday 30 August.

Find the latest updates and information on how this will affect you & what to do on our website http://edinburgh.gov.uk/binstrike

Community councillors to meet council candidates at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

DRYLAW Telford Community Council will meet tomorrow (Wednesday 27th April) at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre..

With the council elections just a week away, the Community Council has invited Inverleith ward candidates along for an informal opportunity to meet CC members and find out what issues are important to them.

Unfortunately the meeting is not open to the public.

Secretary Pam Higgins explained: “Due to covid restrictions – room size specifically – we cannot accommodate an open meeting at present.

“This is a meeting for the candidates to meet their potential Community Council so that the transition is easier post elections. We hope that in the near future we can fully open up to the community again.”

The following ten candidates are standing in Inverleith:

Jule BANDEL – Scottish Green Party
Stuart HERRING – Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Phil HOLDEN – Scottish Family Party: Pro-Family, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life
Tam LAIRD – Scottish Libertarian Party
Stephen MCNAMARA – Independent
Max MITCHELL – Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Mhairi MUNRO-BAIN – Labour and Co-operative Party
Vicky NICOLSON – Scottish National Party (SNP)
Hal OSLER – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Malcolm Alexander WOOD – Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Four of them will be elected to represent Inverleith next Thursday.

Inverleith councillors elected last time (May 2017) were:

Gavin BARRIE – Scottish National Party (SNP)

Max MITCHELL – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party

Hal OSLER – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Iain WHYTE – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

New fund to support survivors of gender-based violence

More than 120 projects across Scotland will share £38 million to support survivors of gender-based violence and focus on prevention.

The Delivering Equally Safe Fund (DES) is a new two-year funding programme to support third sector organisations and public bodies contribute to the objectives, priorities, and outcomes of the Equally Safe strategy.

The Fund includes more than £28 million for frontline services which provide direct support to women and girls, prioritising services that maximise their safety and wellbeing.

The two-year fund has also been increased by an additional £1 million per year to support projects which focus on early intervention and preventative measures.

Funding will be distributed to 121 projects, including Respect, which provides helpline services for perpetrators of domestic abuse, Kingdom Abuse Survivors project and Moray Women’s Aid.

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Violence against women and girls is appalling and unacceptable which is why we are funding organisations that are tackling the issue head on, including frontline services that support survivors and get to the root of abusive behaviour.

“These organisations are offering new and innovative ways to aid recovery, encourage education, and increase prevention awareness.

“I am also pleased that we have been able to increase our funding by more than £1 million a year more than our original fund to increase our support to these important initiatives.

“I look forward to seeing the results of the important the work that Equally Safe Fund will deliver.”

Melanie Wood, from Moray Women’s Aid said: “We are delighted to receive funding through the Delivering Equally Safe fund. It will allow us to continue to deliver essential services to vulnerable women, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse when they most needed it.

“The funding will support the work of our Community Outreach Project and the Children and Young Person’s Service.”

‘The stark reality is that some council services won’t restart’

Accounts Commission: Councils and communities worked well together but impacts of Covid are unequal

Scotland’s councils reacted quickly, working alongside communities and partners to address the unprecedented challenges created by Covid-19, says a new report from the Accounts Commission. Many challenges remain significant, however, made more urgent by the multiple impacts of Covid-19 on communities and services.

Councils have a critical role in providing vital services which communities depend on. In its Local Government Overview 2021 report, the Accounts Commission, who report to the public on the performance of local government, make clear that councils, alongside their partners, quickly provided innovative and sustained support to vulnerable people.

This included supporting those who were shielding or self-isolating, switching to delivering services digitally and managing significant funding to support local businesses.

With many council services disrupted, stopped or reduced, in particular education, social care and culture and leisure, the impact on some service users was severe and unequal. This included carers who lacked access to respite care, people with learning disabilities who were unable to access critical services and support, those receiving care at home and school children whose education was disrupted.

Covid-19 has also exacerbated and laid bare fundamental issues that need to be addressed to ensure services are maintained and that councils can tackle the multiple challenges ahead.

To help achieve this, longer-term financial certainty for councils will be vital. Whilst the Scottish Government has provided significant financial support to councils to assist in managing the net cost of Covid-19 in 2020/21, considerable amounts of funding took the form of one-off payments.

Furthermore, funding for councils beyond 2021/22 remains uncertain. Addressing this issue is vital.

Elma Murray, Interim Chair of the Accounts Commission, says: “Councils, communities and their partners have worked incredibly hard to continue to deliver vital services to local people. The stark reality is that some council services won’t restart, and some services will have to be delivered differently.

“Underpinning this is the increasingly urgent need to address inequalities throughout Scotland’s communities. And for councils this is made more challenging because they continue to operate in a climate of significant financial uncertainty, which must now be addressed.”