local government – Page 11 – The NEN

Fairer, greener, better-connected or Cuts, cuts, cuts?

Council budget ‘stays true to core priorities for Edinburgh’

Budget agreed for 2021/22 despite ongoing pressures of Covid response (around £85 million to date)
Budget shaped by – and addresses – key priorities of poverty, sustainability and wellbeing
Council Tax to be frozen in 2021/22
One-year rent freeze for Council house tenants following a joint motion by Conservative, Green and Liberal Democrat groups
Further revisions to the budget may be made depending on Scottish Government and UK Government budget decisions in March

Councillors in Edinburgh have agreed a new business plan and budget framework to drive the Capital’s recovery from the pandemic in the coming years while tackling key priorities of eradicating poverty, cutting carbon emissions and working for a fairer, more inclusive city where every resident feels valued and empowered.

Despite the ongoing financial pressures brought about by the impact of Covid19 on Council services and communities across the city, a balanced £1 billion-plus budget has also been set for the next financial year (2021/22), with Council Tax frozen at 2020/21 levels to help protect household budgets.

In addition, rents for Council house tenants have been frozen for a year (2021/22) following a joint motion by the Conservative, Green and Liberal Democrat groups.

Financial flexibilities already agreed with the Scottish Government have contributed to the balanced budget position for 2021/22, with an acknowledgement that more fundamental service reform, improvement and prioritisation will be required in future years.

At yesterday’s annual Budget Meeting, elected members also approved a three-year Business Plan setting out how the Council would respond to the need for change, titled Our Future Council, Our Future City.

The Business Plan brings together the Council’s core priorities and seeks to shape a sustainable, fair and thriving future for Edinburgh post-pandemic.

The Business Plan and the priorities it sets shapes the four-year budget framework (2022/23 – 2025/26) also approved yesterday, which sets out the need for broader reforms to reprioritise and potentially redesign services to achieve more than £100 million of savings over the coming years.

Finance and Resources Convener Councillor Rob Munn said: When we set a three-year balanced budget in February 2020, we had no inkling of the economic and social turmoil the pandemic was about to unleash across the globe.

“As a city and as individuals, this past year has tested us like no other time in recent memory – and the challenges are ongoing. It’s testament to the dedication, commitment and resilience of all our staff, our services and our city that we’ve been able to agree a new business plan and balanced budget for 2021/22 today.

“Helping Edinburgh and our citizens to recover and rebuild after the strains of Covid19 is critical and, as they’ve done throughout, staff in Council services continue to work tirelessly to look after the city and our communities.

“Guided by our business plan priorities of ending poverty, becoming a net zero city and making sure wellbeing and equalities are enhanced for all we’ve agreed a comprehensive package of additional investments as part of our £1 billion-plus 2021/22 budget, channelling extra funding to where it’s most needed and will have the most meaningful impact.

“We want to pay tribute to the outstanding efforts of our residents in helping Edinburgh weather the Covid storm. We have seen communities come together through the hardest of times and they have shown all of what is best about our city. Without the solidarity and resilience of the people of Edinburgh, the financial, social and life cost to our Capital would have been far higher.”

Vice Finance and Resources Convener Councillor Joan Griffiths said: “Everyone’s lives have been up-ended by the Coronavirus pandemic. Jobs have been cut, businesses hit, children’s education disrupted, families separated and, tragically, many, many lives have been lost.

“It’s essential then that we do whatever we can to help our most vulnerable citizens and those who’ve been hardest hit financially, while at the same time making progress with our key ambitions towards a fairer, greener and better-connected Edinburgh.

“Make no mistake, tough times lie ahead and we’re going to have to think creatively and courageously in the years ahead to meet the substantial savings required.

“As we’ve learned during this crisis, however, difficult times can sometimes be a catalyst for lasting, positive change and we’re determined to drive forward our commitments on poverty, cutting carbon emissions and equal opportunities for everyone to access jobs, training and good places to live.

“Our three-year Business Plan responds to this need for change so that our strategies and approach achieve their ambition of making Edinburgh the best possible place to call home.”

The outcome of the Scottish Government’s Local Government Financial Settlement this year has contributed an extra £9 million* to the Council’s budget.

Investment proposals put forward by the SNP/Labour Coalition for the additional £9 million were agreed as follows:

£0.170m to freeze fees and charges of school meals, care at home services, garden aid and library reservation charges and fines;
£0.400m in 2021/22 to expand support and advice to help people at risk of homelessness and support those experiencing homelessness into secure tenancies;
£1.050m to manage crisis needs, increase funding for direct payments in light of COVID, support food security in the City, embed advice across schools and GP surgeries and expand programmes like Discover!, all to help put millions of pounds extra in the pockets of families who need it the most;
£0.500m to support our climate obligations and further decarbonisation of the Council’s estate;
£0.300m to support delivery measures for the sustainability plan which will be published in the summer;

£0.500 million to enhance our parks, playparks, food growing and urban forests, with £4m of related capital investment
£0.250m into setting up a short-term let licensing and enforcement system to move quickly in dealing with the problem;
£2.000m extra to accelerate the 1-to-1 digital strategy to help all our school pupils get the equipment they need for their studies;
£0.110m to strengthen and support our role as corporate parents by expanding the support team;
£0.175m to support expansion of Edinburgh Guarantee in light of the impact COVID has had on jobs;
£0.500m investment to take forward Smart City initiatives; and
£0.052m to extend the role of the Gaelic Development Officer for one year beyond the end of Scottish Government funding.

Further to this, £2.743m has been allocated to the Council’s unallocated reserves as a contingency against future risks.

While the city council expresses satisfaction at setting a balanced budget, there’s no getting away from the fact that Edinburgh is facing another year of swingeing cuts to service provision.

Earlier this week local government umbrella body COSLA spoke out once again about the consequnces of further cuts.

COSLA warned that communities across Scotland will face unavoidable and damaging consequences if Local Government does not receive a fair funding settlement in this year’s Budget

COSLA said that the trend of recent settlements for Local Government needs to change because on top of existing pressures, the COVID pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on the finances of Scotland’s Councils this year.

The organisation has produced a comprehensive 14-page briefing document, ‘Respect Our Communities: Protect Our Funding’, which covers three areas:

the costs of COVID-19 to Local Government and the need for these to be met,
flexibility on how the budget allocated to Councils is spent and
an increased budget allocation to address the reduction in funding to Councils over recent settlements.

Speaking as she launched the document on Tuesday, COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, said: “This year, across every community in Scotland, Local Government’s essential role has been magnified and once again we have delivered for our communities.

“Nobody in Scotland has been unaffected by this pandemic and the financial impacts of COVID-19 are severe. Individuals, families and businesses have all felt the effects and continue to look to Councils for support every day.

“Sustaining this lifeline support is placing extreme pressure on already strained budgets and without fair funding for Local Government this year, the consequences for the most vulnerable in our communities would be unacceptable.

“That is why we need fair funding for 2021/22 that respects our communities. Without this, there will be further cuts to services, reductions in spending locally, increases in the inequalities exposed by the pandemic and a much slower recovery.”

Echoing these concerns, COSLA President, Councillor Alison Evison, said: “Local Government’s role on behalf of our communities cannot be underestimated anymore. The COVID pandemic has shown exactly how much the public rely on us as leaders and as providers of vital services.

“The reality is that in recent budgets, the Scottish Government has chosen not to provide enough funding for the essential services that communities rely on day in day out.

“On top of this, this year we have had to contend with COVID-19 which has seen the inequality in our society grow.

“Our ability to recover from this and continue to deliver for Scotland’s communities depends on a change of emphasis from Scottish Government that provides fair funding for Council services.

“If we are to truly recover from this pandemic then Local Authorities must receive a fair settlement.”

Adult Social Care: Scottish Government supports Feeley Review recommendations

Collision course with COSLA over National Care Service?

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has accepted the findings of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, and the Scottish Government is already working to implement key recommendations.

Ms Freeman told Parliament yesterday that Derek Feeley’s Independent Review, commissioned five months ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was an “important opportunity” to be bold in reshaping how social care is planned, funded and delivered.

Speaking in a debate on the review, Ms Freeman set out a number of immediate measures in response, including a new £20 million Community Living Change Fund to redesign services for people with complex needs including intellectual disabilities and autism, and for people who have enduring mental health problems.

This will address some of the issues raised by the 2018 Coming Home report, about the need to avoid out of area placements and delayed discharge for people with learning disabilities and complex needs.

She said she accepted the principle of introducing a National Care Service but would continue to talk to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) about how to address its concerns.

The Scottish Government is working to implement other measures recommended by Derek Feeley’s report. These include:

work with local partners to end charging for non-residential care
developing minimum standards for terms and conditions in the social care sector, to help organisations meet fair work principles by the end of May
work to ensure there is no delay in the annual Real Living Wage uplift for Adult Social Care workers

Ms Freeman said: “The independent review of social care gives us a clear roadmap for the future of care provision in Scotland and we believe in the recommendations in this report.

“There is immediate action that can be taken now to secure improvement. I am pleased to announce a new Community Living Change Fund of £20 million to deliver a redesign of services for people with complex needs including intellectual disabilities and autism, and those who have enduring mental health problems. We will work with local partners as quickly as practicable to end all charges for non-residential care.

“The report also recognises and highlights the critical and invaluable support that the social care workforce provide to people all over Scotland. We are looking to establish a new sector-level body to ensure an effective voice for the whole of the social care workforce to enable them to respond to local conditions and address matters of importance, and support an effective collective bargaining role in the sector.

“As a priority, we will work with our stakeholders to agree a national approach to implementing the real living wage for Adult Social Care workers – for 2021 and in future years.

“We want to move from a competitive market to collaboration and ethical approaches to commissioning and procurement to help embed fair work principles and improve the consistency of services.

“The National Care Home Contract should also embed changes which drive the Fair Work Agenda and I have asked that for the first time Union representatives should be party to the discussions on this contract.

“I understand the concern expressed by COSLA on the issue of accountability. Local government is a critical partner in taking forward the radical change the Review rightly calls for and I support. We need to work together to find the best way to secure the Review’s recommendations and the spirit of its intent.

“I believe, as the report sets out, that improving adult social care gives us an important opportunity – to improve people’s lives, to build our economy, and to invest in high-quality, fair work.

“This is just beginning of a process for improvement. It is now up to us to ensure a social care system that consistently delivers high quality services across Scotland – a system that is founded in fairness, equality, and human rights, and that puts lived experience at the heart of its redesign and delivery.”

Council Leaders have already rejected the idea of a Scottish Care Service.

Speaking following the launch of the Feeley report on 11 February, Councillor Stuart Currie, COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, said: “There was real and unanimous opposition to the recommendations on governance and accountability which would see the removal of local democratic accountability and a degree of centralisation, which Leaders rightly felt would be detrimental to the local delivery of social care and its integration with other key community services.

“They (council leaders) also felt that given the level of funding set out in the Review, Local Government would be well placed to deliver the human-rights based approach outlined at pace, whilst ensuring local democratic accountability remains front and centre of social care.”

Council leaders will consider a detailed report on the proposals and the Scottish Government’s response at the end of this month.

COSLA: Unanimous ‘No’ to National Care Service

There is much in the Feeley Report on Adult Social Care that Local Government and Scotland’s Council Leaders have been calling for, COSLA said yesterday.

Leaders have long advocated that that the lived experience of those who rely on social care should be embedded within the system and that social care should move to a more person centred approach, recognising the value of not for profit provision, and carried out by a workforce that is valued.

However Leaders unanimously expressed ‘grave concern’ at the recommendations around the future governance and accountability arrangements contained within the Report.

Whilst they agreed with a lot of the content within the Feeley Report, Council Leaders together voiced their opposition to the recommendation which proposes the removal of local democratic accountability from Adult Social Care and the centralising of the service under a National Care Service with accountability falling to Ministers, a move that they described as being detrimental to the local delivery of social care and its integration with other key community services.

They also felt that given the level of funding set out in the Review, Local Government would be well placed to continue to deliver this vital service.

Speaking following a special meeting of Council Leaders Councillor Stuart Currie, COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, said: “Council Leaders noted the publication of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care and endorsed many of the principles set out in the report particularly in relation to empowering people, valuing the workforce and embedding a human rights approach to social care.

“Leaders were also clear that the lived experience of those who rely on social care should be embedded within the system and that social care should move to a more person-centred approach.

“However, there was real and unanimous opposition to the recommendations on governance and accountability which would see the removal of local democratic accountability and a degree of centralisation, which Leaders rightly felt would be detrimental to the local delivery of social care and its integration with other key community services.

“They also felt that given the level of funding set out in the Review, Local Government would be well placed to deliver the human-rights based approach outlined at pace, whilst ensuring local democratic accountability remains front and centre of social care.”

A further detailed report on the proposals will be considered by Council Leaders at the end of February.

Council leaders’ priorities for 2021

City Council Committee Conveners and Vice Conveners have set out their key priorities for 2021:

Council Leader Adam McVey and Depute Leader Cammy Day:

Our first and most pressing task in 2021 is to continue to steer Edinburgh through and – hopefully sooner rather than later – out of the global Covid19 pandemic. There’s no doubt these past nine months have been unbelievably challenging for all of us, and especially so for anyone who’s sadly lost a loved one during the crisis.

As we work with organisations and communities right across the city to help Edinburgh navigate whatever comes next, we’re clear that ‘back to normal’ won’t be good enough – we need to build back better, following the key principles of the Edinburgh 2050 City Vision to achieve a thriving, welcoming, pioneering and fair Capital for now and for future generations.

Our work will be guided and shaped by our core priorities of tackling poverty and inequality, boosting sustainability and promoting wellbeing. We’ll push on with implementing our 10-year End Poverty in Edinburgh plan as well as our Net Zero 2030 ambitions. 2021 is going to be a major and defining year for this incredible city and we’re determined to do Edinburgh proud.

Cllr Rob Munn and Cllr Joan Griffiths, Finance and Resources Convener and Vice Convener:

Our main focus for 2021 is to take the carefully considered decisions about where to prioritise spending for the Council over the next three years and setting a balanced budget that protects our most vulnerable citizens and helps our communities to recover from the pandemic. At the same time, we want to continue to deliver high quality services for Edinburgh.

Our budget process is, as ever, informed by direct feedback from the people of Edinburgh on which services they want to see prioritised and we’re very grateful to the 2000+ people who responded to our budget engagement survey before Christmas. This feedback is invaluable, especially given the exceptionally challenging year 2020 was and the impact that Covid19 has had and will continue to have for us all. It’s crucial we understand how people’s lives have been affected by the impact of the pandemic on our services as we work to steer the Capital towards a sustainable recovery.

Finally, the Council’s core priorities of addressing poverty and inequality, improving sustainability and tackling climate change as well as enhancing wellbeing, based on what people told us was most important to them, will remain at the heart of our budget setting for 2021 and beyond.

Education, Children & Families Convener Cllr Ian Perry and Vice Convener Cllr Alison Dickie:

The ongoing pandemic is having a devastating impact on us all and 2021 will still provide challenges for our education system and young people but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I have to pay tribute to all our dedicated teaching staff and young people who are showing amazing resilience in these challenging times. Even though there will be no exams this year our school staff will ensure pupils get the best teaching possible for their assessments. Our Edinburgh Learns plan will position education as the lever for a fairer, healthier and greener future. The support for our vulnerable young people, especially our Looked After Children, will continue to be a priority.

Our plans to create the very best learning environment for young people will continue with our £500m planned investment over the next 10 years for an ambitious new school building programme with Frogston Primary, Victoria Primary, St Crispin’s opening this year and the new Castlebrae Community Campus in early 2022.

The investment also includes new nurseries with more Forest Kindergartens opening up this month and we’ll be meeting the Scottish Government’s target of 1140 funded early learning and childcare by August this year.

Transport and Environment Vice Convener Cllr Karen Doran:

The events of 2020 have had an unparalleled impact on so many aspects of our lives. How we move around our city has of course been greatly affected.

During lockdown, roads emptied and travel by bike, foot and wheels surged. Our Spaces for People measures saw people take up cycling or walking where they might previously have driven, and we want to keep this momentum up.

In 2021, development of major plans, including the draft City Mobility Plan and Edinburgh City Centre Transformation, will revolutionise the way we interact with the city. Construction will begin on schemes like City Centre West to East Link and design will continue on several exciting projects to improve cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

We’ll move closer to introducing a Low Emissions Zone and Electric Vehicle charging network while Trams to Newhaven will begin to take shape, alongside our excellent existing bus and tram services.

I know we’re on the right track for a sustainable, inclusive, carbon-neutral future for Edinburgh, and 2021 will help get us there.

Councillors Kate Campbell and Mandy Watt, Convener and Vice Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work:

In 2021, we will build more good quality, energy efficient, affordable homes. They’ll be good places to live, within strong communities. Our new and existing tenants will get the best service possible from us as their landlord; and we’ll make sure our tenants, especially those who may be struggling with the impacts of Covid-19, get the support they need.

We’ll continue work to improve temporary accommodation, reach out to our most vulnerable citizens, prevent homelessness whenever possible and make sure people are able to access the right support when and where they need it.

We want to help our economy to build back better and stronger, putting fair work and sustainability at the heart of our strategy to rebuild. We’ll do that by supporting businesses and, with a view to the long term, we’ll work towards building a wellbeing economy based on good jobs, job security and career progression.

We’ll begin by expanding our existing employability services so that people facing barriers to employment are supported to find work, learn new skills and gain confidence.

Culture and Communities Convener Donald Wilson:

I think it would be an understatement to say 2020 was extremely tough for the culture sector. As we look ahead to 2021 we will be doing all we can not just to survive, but to come back better than ever.

Our vibrant cultural heritage and festivals offering is at the heart of what makes Edinburgh unique and we are committed to supporting the sector’s return and future. The return of live audiences next year will be crucial to this recovery. The cultural sector makes a huge contribution to our economy and the quality of life of our communities.

We have made a start though with the City Art Centre reopening in September and we very much look forward to the reopening our other Museums and Galleries as well as opening our doors for performances at the Usher Hall.

So, in 2021, I’ll continue to fight for what I believe in: that it is the city’s duty to continue to nurture Edinburgh’s creative heart. Not just for the huge contributions to our economy but also to the lives of our citizens.

We may find those priorities changing come May, of course. Local government elections are still scheduled to take place on , when we may well see new political alliances and a new administration with new priorities for the capital. – Ed.

Covid placing real strain on council budgets,says COSLA

Communities across Scotland will face unavoidable and damaging consequences if Local Government does not receive a fair funding settlement in this year’s Budget, COSLA has warned.

The organisation has produced a comprehensive 14-page briefing document, ‘Respect Our Communities: Protect Our Funding’, which covers three areas:

the costs of COVID-19 to Local Government and the need for these to be met,
flexibility on how the budget allocated to Councils is spent and
an increased budget allocation to address the reduction in funding to Councils over recent settlements.

Speaking as she launched the document yesterday, COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, said: “This year, across every community in Scotland, Local Government’s essential role has been magnified and once again we have delivered for our communities.

“The reality is that in recent budgets, the Scottish Government has chosen not to provide enough funding for the essential services that communities rely on day in day out.

“On top of this, this year we have had to contend with COVID-19 which has seen the inequality in our society grow.

“Our ability to recover from this and continue to deliver for Scotland’s communities depends on a change of emphasis from Scottish Government that provides fair funding for Council services.

“If we are to truly recover from this pandemic then Local Authorities must receive a fair settlement.”

Download the full document, ‘Respect Our Communities: Protect Our Funding’
(PDF, 579.11 KB)

Local government has reduced the worst impacts of COVID for the most vulnerable, says COSLA

By intervening, Local Government has reduced the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for the most vulnerable in our communities, COSLA said yesterday.

COSLA also said that is why their Blueprint outlines the lead role of Local Government in securing a fair and inclusive recovery with a strong focus on human rights, tackling poverty and addressing inequalities.

COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Councillor Kelly Parry said: “The tireless work of Council staff in dealing with COVID-19 has been an essential service to our communities in recent months.

“By intervening, we have reduced the worst impacts of the pandemic for the most vulnerable in our communities. Our Blueprint outlines the lead role of Local Government in securing a fair and inclusive recovery with a strong focus on human rights, tackling poverty and addressing inequalities. As we recover, those with lived experience and those who are at risk of being left behind need to be empowered to help redesign local services.

“The pandemic has underlined the need for a social safety net which no one can fall through. Understanding how the pandemic has affected, for instance from within my own portfolio at COSLA, women and children at risk of abuse is a key part of ensuring people are safe and supported – something I feel really strongly about.

“We also need to reduce disadvantage from an early age, to end the disruptive affects that engagement with the youth and community justice systems cause, particularly when it ends in secure accommodation and high prison rates.

“Local Government is the anchor in supporting our communities. We will continue to meet the challenges of the pandemic, while re-building local services through an ambitious vision for Scotland’s future.”

Scottish Government updates homelessness action plan

Night shelters will be replaced with rapid rehousing ‘welcome centres’ for people who would otherwise be sleeping rough this winter, in updated plans for tackling homelessness.

The centres will provide emergency accommodation for people who have no other options, encouraging them to move on to other services. People using the centres will be offered targeted support, including for wellbeing, health and social care issues, legal rights, employment and welfare.

Announced yesterday in an updated action plan for tackling homelessness, the centres are part of plans to phase out night shelters entirely by expanding rapid rehousing approaches such as Housing First that provide settled accommodation as quickly as possible.

The Ending Homelessness Together updated plan also contains actions that will:

minimise the risk of evictions
strengthen protections for people experiencing domestic abuse
give people with lived experience of homelessness or rough sleeping a greater say in the development of policy
explore alternative routes to reducing migrant homelessness.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart, who co-chairs the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group, said: “Our vision is of a Scotland with no need for night shelters – where everyone has a home that meets their needs.

“Since our plan for tackling homelessness was first published in 2018 we have delivered on many of the urgent issues facing homeless people. The Scottish Government’s swift response to coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a dramatic reduction in the numbers of people sleeping rough and we must not let the problem return.

“This updated action plan renews our commitment to ending homelessness and rough sleeping once and for all, particularly by expanding services such as Housing First that provide longer-term accommodation and give homeless people the time and space to establish new lives for themselves.

“We are also placing even greater emphasis on preventing homelessness in the first place, and our new rapid rehousing welcome centres and are a first step to ending the use of night shelters altogether.

“I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this updated plan.”

Cllr Elena Whitham, CoSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson and the strategy group’s other co-chair, said: “The pandemic has reminded us all of the importance of having a safe and comfortable home that meets our needs. However, we know that the impacts of the crisis have not been felt equally.

“People facing poverty, inequality and other social harms have felt the impact far more greatly. Local Government has shared the ambition to end homelessness and our resolve to do this is now stronger than ever.

“The updated action plan sets out an inclusive and human rights-based approach focused on preventing homelessness, responding quickly, working together with our partners across sectors, taking a person-centred approach which is tailored to reflect individual needs and circumstances.

“I am grateful to the partners who have contributed to this plan, in particular to those with lived experience of homelessness. We must not allow the deepening of inequalities in our response and recovery to the pandemic, and ending homelessness is vital in preventing this.”

Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes, chair of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group, said: “The ambition shown by the Scottish Government in publishing a revised Action Plan is brilliant to see.

“It builds on unprecedented action throughout the pandemic to protect people experiencing homelessness, and shows renewed ambition – including a commitment to move away from night shelters. The outbreak has shown that we can tackle homelessness and end rough sleeping when the will is there.

“As the economic impact of the outbreak continues to be felt, it is more important than ever to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place, and ensuring that if they do, they are helped to find somewhere safe and settled straight away. These actions must be a priority to ensure that Scotland continues towards ending homelessness for good.”

Cosla welcomes additional support worth £750 million

A package of financial flexibilities and extra funding for councils which could be worth up to £750 million has been agreed by the Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA.

To address the financial pressures caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic over the next two years, councils will be granted additional spending powers which could be worth around £600 million.

In addition to this, a Lost Income Scheme will be established to help compensate councils and council trusts for lost sales, fees and charges from services such as sports centres and parking charges.

Councils and their trusts will have access to an estimated £90 million of funding with council trusts delivering services on behalf of councils able to receive a share of a further £49 million of support through the scheme.

Added to additional funding already committed, this brings the value of the overall COVID-19 support package for councils to more than £1 billion.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “I have been clear that the Scottish Government needs appropriate fiscal levers in order to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is equally true for local government, which is why I am very pleased that we have been able to deliver a package of support for local services worth up to £750 million.

“Working in partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government has delivered on our commitment to support councils across Scotland with a game changing package of financial flexibilities, giving them the powers they need to make informed decisions about spending at a local level.

“In addition, we are close to finalising the details of additional financial support through a Lost Income Scheme, worth an estimated £90 million subject to confirmation of the funding from the UK Government. For trusts delivering services on behalf of councils this can also be topped up with £49 million of additional funding already confirmed.

“This support will help councils and their trusts manage the loss of income they are facing from local services due to COVID-19.

“These measures are excellent examples of how the Scottish Government is working together with COSLA and local authorities to ensure that we are doing everything within our power to save jobs, protect our public services and reboot our economy.”

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Cllr Gail Macgregor said: “We welcome this substantial package of measures from which councils can choose, depending on local circumstance.

“Responding to COVID-19 whilst continuing to deliver essential, everyday services has put extreme pressure on Local Government finances this year. The pandemic has also meant substantial losses of income across a range of council services including leisure, sport, culture, and planning.

“Balancing budgets will be a real challenge and this has been fully recognised by Scottish Government who we have worked with constructively and positively.”

COSLA: Local government ‘essential to everday lives’

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown why, more than ever, Local Government is essential to our everyday lives, according to local government umbrella body COSLA.

COSLA also said that we are now at a crossroads and must decide the type of world we want to build as a response to the pandemic.

Councillor Steven Heddle COSLA Environment and Economy Spokesperson, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has shown why, more than ever, Local Government is essential to our everyday lives.

“The recently published Local Government Blueprint highlights that we are now at a crossroads and must decide the type of world we want to build as a response to the pandemic.

“Climate change and the degradation of natural environments across the world is a factor behind the emergence of new diseases like Covid-19.

“While the exact origins of the pandemic have yet to be discovered, what is not uncertain is the global public health and economic crisis which has resulted. The linkage between the environment, human health and wellbeing and the economy has rarely been clearer.”

Councillor Heddle continued: “We live in a tightly knit and fragile world, so we have no choice but to meet these global challenges on our own home turf which is why Local Government has never been more important.

“In uncertain times like this I believe we must take strength from our civic roots and the local democratic tradition in Scotland. We have shown in the past that big change can start at the local level, but this requires a purposeful decision to invest locally and to trust in local decision making.

“The pandemic has highlighted how Local Government is not just about the delivery of vital services, but it is about the places we live and the lives we lead.

“Whether it is through tackling the inequalities so cruelly exposed by the pandemic, supporting businesses through extraordinary times, investing in our greener future or helping young people find employment, Local Government in Scotland is a positive driver of change locally and nationally.

“The Local Government Blueprint shows a way ahead which is both focused on the needs of our local communities but also on the big, global challenges which we all face. It’s a positive vision for the future we want to build together.”

LG-Blueprint Download

Capital faces council services catastrophe

UNISON calls for government help as city council faces hundreds of job losses due to Covid and funding crisis

Edinburgh UNISON, the union representing most Edinburgh council workers, fears that hundreds of jobs could go over the coming months due to the Covid Crisis and poor funding settlements from the Scottish Government.

Tomorrow (Thursday 24 September), Edinburgh councillors will discuss the updated budget shortfall of £12.2 million due to the council’s Covid response.

Gerry Stovin, Edinburgh UNISON assistant branch secretary said: “With this figure, plus the proposed £25 million in cuts already approved for next year and this year’s cuts and savings not achieved, we could be facing a further £50 million of cuts over the next 12 months.

“This would have a disastrous effect on essential services the public rely on, especially at this critical time.

“UNISON is calling on the Scottish Government and COSLA to agree short term additional funding to cover the cost of Covid, financial flexibility and fundraising powers along with a fairer budget settlement for April 2021 for all Scottish councils.”