Tag: local government

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.

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 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.

“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.”

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-BlueprintDownload

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.”

Charitable organisations welcome housing research report

The TDS Charitable Foundation and SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust have welcomed a new report on compliance in the private rented sector produced by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) – part of a wider programme of work funded by the two charitable organisations.

The report, “Improving Compliance with Private Rented Sector Legislation”, explores how local authority enforcement and regulation in the UK’s private rented sector (PRS) could be improved.

The report details findings from 70 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and professionals from 13 UK local authorities. The research finds considerable variation in stance, philosophy and approach to enforcement and compliance both across UK nations and also within them across local authorities.

The research was carried out by Dr Jennifer Harris, Professor Dave Cowan and Professor Alex Marsh of the University of Bristol – one of the 14 institutions in the CaCHE consortium which is led by the University of Glasgow.

The report makes a number of recommendations for UK policy makers, including:

  • Improving the data available to local authorities on the private rented sector.
  • Providing adequate funding to local authorities to allow them to develop appropriate and effective responses to the changing nature and context of the private rented sector.
  • Codification of the diverse legislative provisions which currently exist.
  • Providing sentencing guidelines to the criminal courts and tribunals to ensure that punishment is proportionate to the nature of the offence.

Professor Martin Partington CBE QC, Chair of the TDS Charitable Foundation, said: “With similar remits, both the TDS Charitable Foundation and SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust work to raise standards in the private rented sector by advancing education on housing rights and obligations.

“This research is another example of the support we have given to many diverse and far-reaching projects within the rental industry. Together we are committed to bringing about a positive change that will benefit both renters and landlords.”

John Duff, Chair of the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust, added: “We are proud to support initiatives like this that support the work we do within the private rented sector.

“This is a comprehensive piece of research which we hope will stimulate debate across the industry, and ultimately create solutions to the issues identified as we work to continually improve the sector.”

The full report can be found at: https://housingevidence.ac.uk/publications/improving-compliance-with-private-rented-sector-legislation

The report has been published alongside two briefing papers:

Nominations open for councillor awards

The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA has opened nominations for the 2020 Cllr Awards. The Cllr Awards are the only national awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of individual councillors across Scotland. 

Since 2018, LGIU Scotland and CCLA have been honouring the hard work of councillors that so often goes unrecognised. The Award categories celebrate the varied work of councillors. New categories for 2020 include Covid-19 Hero and Collaborative Working alongside the coveted Champion for Education, Leader of the Year and New Councillor of the Year awards.

Nominations are now officially open until 18 September with the shortlist due to be unveiled in the middle of October. Nominations can be made by anyone who would like to recognise a councillor doing outstanding work for their community.

“The winners will be decided by a panel of judges composed of senior councillors and officers as well as leading stakeholders from across the sector. This year’s ceremony will take place at the end of November. Due to the ongoing health crisis, it will be held virtually with winners announced on the night.

This year’s awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGIU Scotland, said: “Now, more than ever, we need to honour the unsung heroes of local government who are working tirelessly to keep the country afloat during the pandemic. 

“This is why we are proud to once again open nominations for this year’s Cllr Awards. It has never been more important that we take the time to recognise the vital work of our councillors.

“We want to hear from as many members of the public, councillors and local leaders as possible about the individuals who are making a real difference in your communities.

“We are always overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of the nominations we receive each year. However, we know that this year’s Awards will shine a light on the highest calibre of nominations yet.”

Councils REDUCE Welfare Fund payments during pandemic, says ECAP

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty has denounced Scottish councils for not spending the money given to them by the Scottish Government to disburse to needy people via the Scottish Welfare Fund.

In response to the Covid-19 emergency the Scottish government added £45 million to the Scottish Welfare Fund, more than doubling its funding. But despite this, local councils – who administer the Fund – are actually paying out LESS in grants to needy applicants than they did during the same period last year!

The Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) supports people in real need, and the government promised that by boosting the fund Councils would have greater flexibility in making SWF payments “ to ensure they can fully support people in financial crisis, including workers in the ‘gig economy’.

But Scottish Government figures reveal that while in April and May 2019 Councils disbursed a total of over £6.5 million in SWF grants, in April and May 2020 less than £6 million was paid out to needy people.

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty (ECAP) say: “It’s a disgrace – despite having more than twice as much money to make grants, and despite soaring need, at the height of the pandemic Scottish local authorities have actually REDUCED the SWF grants.”

Shirley Anne-Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People, stated in the Scottish Parliament on 27/3/20 that the guidelines normally limiting crisis grants to 3 per year were scrapped.

But an investigation by ECAP has revealed that virtually every Scottish local authority still declares on its website that Crisis Grants are normally restricted to three per year. The Highland Council website even declares : “You should not apply for a Crisis Grant if you have already had three crisis grants or awards made to you in the last 12 months”.

Wrongly Refused

One applicant in Edinburgh, applying for a Crisis Grant during the pandemic, was wrongly told that they could not be awarded a Grant because they had already had three grants in the last 12 months.

When ECAP challenged and denounced this as wrong, the City of Edinburgh Council then did pay the applicant a Crisis Grant.

ECAP say: “ How many applicants are being wrongly refused Grants? And how many people are being put off applying by Councils wrongly stating that the Crisis Grant limits still stand? This denial of support to people in need is unacceptable.”

In a statement, ECAP insist: “ The Councils in Scotland must pay out the extra cash they have been given as grants to people in need. Councils must make clear the 3 Crisis Grants per year limit is scrapped and make payments accordingly.

“And the Scottish Government should tell local authorities they must widely publicise the extra support available, massively increase payments, and implement the new rules ending the restriction on Crisis Grant payments.”

More detailed article at http://edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk/?p=2783