Nominationshave opened for candidates to stand in the forthcoming Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election. The by-election is being held following the resignation of Councillor and former Transport and Environment Convener Scott Arthur.
On Thursday 14 November, Colinton/Fairmilehead residents will go to the polls to select a new councillor to represent the ward which also includes Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston and has a current electorate of 19,226.
Voters have a range of options for casting their ballot – in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote.
In order to stand as a candidate, individuals must submit nomination papers, which are available on the Council website, by 4pm on Monday 14 October.
Chris Highcock, Depute Returning Officer for Edinburgh, said: “The Notice of Election signifies the official start of the election period for Colinton / Fairmilehead. I would urge all citizens in the ward to make sure they are registered and have their details or preference of how they would like to vote up to date in plenty of time.
“Anyone unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 14 November. Details of where these are will be announced shortly.
People aged 16 and over and all those legally resident – including foreign citizens – can register to vote in this election.
Find out more about elections in Edinburgh and how to register to vote on the Council website.
The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 29 October 2024, to apply for a postal vote the deadline is Wednesday 30 October 2024, and for a proxy vote the deadline is Wednesday 6 November 2024.
The winners of COSLA’s 2024 Excellence Awards were named on Thursday 19th September at a ceremony at the scenic Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire.
The COSLA Excellence Awards are a key event in the local government calendar, and celebrate the incredible teams, projects, and services that Scottish Local Government delivers for our communities.
West Dunbartonshire Council, Aberdeen City Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Inverclyde Council, Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council with Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership and Clackmannanshire Council have all been named winners at the COSLA 2024 Excellence Awards.
The COSLA Excellence Awards is an annual celebration of success and innovation in Scottish Local Government. The winners were celebrated at a special awards ceremony hosted by “Still Game” star Sanjeev Kohli on Thursday 19th September, in the beautiful surrounds of the Crieff Hydro Hotel, Perthshire.
The Awards recognise and celebrate teams and projects that exemplify best practice and innovative, sustainable service delivery over five categories – Service Innovation and Improvement; Achieving Better Outcomes for the Most Vulnerable in Partnership; Tackling Inequalities and Improving Health and Wellbeing; Strengthening Communities and Local Democracy, and Just Transition to a Net Zero Economy.
Scotland’s 32 councils and their key partners were invited to submit their applications over the summer. Applications were then shortlisted by an expert adjudication panel comprising experts across local and national government as well as the public and private sectors.
With more than 200 applications received this year, the judging panel were given the unenviable task of narrowing these down to just 15 finalists and 9 winners across the main categorises as well as 4 special awards – COSLA Chairperson’s Award, SOLACE Best Team Award, The Scottish Government – Delivering Excellence Award, and the Excellent People, Excellent Outcomes Award.
Councillor Shona Morrison, President of COSLA and Chair of the 2024 Excellence Awards, said: “Firstly, I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our winners!
“It has been an honour to chair the 2024 COSLA Excellence Awards. This is my second year of the Awards as COSLA President, and being part of the process, from judging entries to presenting the awards to the deserving winners remains a highlight of my year.
“The Excellence Awards serve as an important reminder that councils are here for our communities every day, supporting us in all aspects of our lives – from resolving day-to-day issues; to supporting people experiencing some of the most unprecedented and difficult circumstances imaginable.
“They provide education for our children and young people; help our family members and neighbours in need of care, housing and other forms of support; and ensure our communities are safe for all who live there.
“This year’s finalists really demonstrated the range of what councils deliver, and I hope that everyone in the room felt proud to be part of the Local Government family – I know I certainly did.
“It has been wonderful once again to celebrate at the beautiful Crieff Hydro Hotel, and to have this opportunity share and celebrate the inspirational stories of our finalists with our colleagues across the public, private and third sectors.
“This year’s entries and winners highlighted how important it is that we work collaboratively across these sectors to deliver for our communities, so I am very glad we were able to bring colleagues together to celebrate these wonderful joint achievements.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our event sponsors and partners for making this year’s Awards possible; and of course, to every single team who put in an application – not only for your hard work in putting together your application, but for your commitment to making Scotland’s communities better, safer places to be every single day.
“Finally, a huge thanks and congratulations to this year’s finalists and winners for being there with us on the night – it has been a pleasure to celebrate your hard work and dedication.”
The 2024 COSLA Excellence Awards winners are –
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Category 1: Service Innovation and Improvement (sponsored by Scottish Water)
West Dunbartonshire Council
Developing and Implementation of a Chatbot to improve the missed bins “experience” for citizens
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Category 2: Achieving Better Outcomes For The Most Vulnerable in Partnership (sponsored by our Conference headline sponsor, CCLA)
Aberdeen City Council
My Way to Employment (MwtE) – Supporting People in the Justice System
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Category 3: Tackling Inequalities and Improving Health and Wellbeing (sponsored by Public Health Scotland)
North Lanarkshire Council
Breastfeeding Friendly North Lanarkshire – Leading the Way in Driving Cultural Change
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Category 4: Strengthening Communities and Local Democracy
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Top CATs!
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Category 5: Just Transition to a Net Zero Economy (sponsored by Amey)
Inverclyde Council
Improving Inverclyde’s Environment Through Peatland Restoration
A Warm Scottish Welcome – North Lanarkshire’s Ukrainian Resettlement Project
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Thank you to all who applied, and huge congratulations to all this year’s winners!
Thank you to this years’ awards sponsors: CCLA, Scottish Water, Public Health Scotland, Amey Ltd., the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace), and Scottish Government.
A special thank you to our headline sponsor for the COSLA Conference, Exhibition and Excellence Awards, CCLA.
Nominations close for the 2024 Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA Cllr Awards at midnight on Friday 13th September.
The Cllr Awards will once again shine a light on the achievements of local elected representatives who have made a tangible impact in their communities.
Every year the LGIU receives hundreds of nominations – each acknowledging a councillor’s exceptional commitment to improving their community and achieving remarkable results over the past year.
The Cllr Awards are the only national ceremony that celebrate the outstanding contributions of councillors across England, Wales and Scotland and nominations can be made by members of the public, friends and family, colleagues or residents.
Submitting a nomination is free and takes just eight minutes. Applicants must provide details about the nominated councillor, outlining why they deserve recognition and how their initiatives have positively impacted the community.
The 2024 Cllr Awards has five categories: Community Champion, Leader of the Year, Young Councillor of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Lifetime Legend. Shortlisted candidates will be announced in the autumn.
Winners in England & Wales will be announced at the Guildhall in London on Wednesday 20 November while winners in Scotland will be revealed at the City Chambers in Edinburgh on Thursday 14 November.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU,said: “Now is the time to shine a light on the incredible work of councillors across our communities.
“They are working tirelessly behind the scenes, day in and day out, to make positive contributions that impact our daily lives in so many important ways, from maintaining streets to funding community projects and shaping the character of our towns.
“Now, more than ever before, local communities rely on elected members and their work too often goes unnoticed and unrecognised, making the Cllr Awards essential in highlighting their invaluable work.
“That is why we are proud to once again host the annual Cllr Awards, paying tribute to our locally elected representatives and sharing examples of the innovation and dedication of our councillors.
“We anticipate a wave of nominations this year before the 13 September deadline and look forward to hearing the remarkable stories behind them. These awards are made possible through the generous support of our founding partners, CCLA.”
Following a special meeting of Council Leaders yesterday to discuss Local Government Pay, COSLA has made a ‘significantly improved’ formal offer to the trade unions.
Scotland’s council leaders welcomed that Scottish Government had provided funding to take a pay offer beyond the 3.2% previously offered by COSLA, recognising the financial position facing councils while also providing firm assurances around any recurring additional funding.
This additional funding means that the revised offer is better than the offer made to Local Government workers in the rest of the UK.
If the offer is accepted everyone will receive at least 3.6% and for the first pay point on our pay scales, there will be an increase of £1292 (or 5.63%), The overall offer value is 4.27%.
In making this improved offer, COSLA is requesting that strike action is suspended while it is considered by the unions, who have been made aware of Leaders’ concerns that the additional funding may be at risk if strikes go ahead.
COSLA’s Resources Spokespeople Cllr Katie Hagmann said:“Having worked hard over the last week with Scottish Government to increase and guarantee additional funding, Leaders are now in a position to make this improved offer to our trade unions.
“This offer reflects what trade unions have asked for and we hope that they will now be prepared to call off the strikes while they put that offer to their members.”
Fifteen projects from across Scotland have been chosen as finalists for the 2024 Excellence Awards, which are COSLA’s annual celebration of Scottish Local Government success.
All 32 Scottish local authorities and partner organisations were invited over the summer to submit entries to a judging panel comprising a number of experts across local and national government as well as the private sector.
After much deliberation, our judging teams determined just 15 finalists from dozens of high-quality applications – this year, entries surpassed 200 for the second year in a row. The judges’ shortlist features a series of projects and programmes which highlighted areas of best practice and innovative service delivery over five categories; Service Innovation and Improvement, Achieving Better Outcomes for the Most Vulnerable in Partnership, Tackling Inequalities and Improving Health and Wellbeing, Strengthening Communities and Local Democracy and Just Transition to a Net Zero Economy.
Finalists will now be invited to present their projects in person to a panel of judges in August led by COSLA President Shona Morrison, who will decide on a winner in each of the 5 main categories as well as the winners of an additional 4 special awards; COSLA Chairperson’s Award, SOLACE Best Team Award, The Scottish Government – Delivering Excellence Award, and the Excellent People, Excellent Outcomes Award.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at COSLA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will take place on Thursday 19th September 2024 at the Crieff Hydro Hotel, Perthshire.
Councillor Shona Morrison, COSLA’s President and Chairperson of the Excellence Awards, said: “Firstly, I’d like to offer congratulations to our 15 finalists! Getting through to the final part of this awards process is no small feat, so I hope you are feeling incredibly proud of getting this far and I am really looking forward to seeing the presentations in a few weeks.
“The judging teams have let me know that the calibre of applications this year was extremely high, so I sincerely thank everyone who took the time to put in an application.
“The COSLA Excellence Awards are a highlight of my year and it’s always inspiring to hear so many positive and innovative projects coming from across Scottish local government. In such a challenging time for councils it cannot be underestimated how much these teams and the services they offer are relied upon by our communities – overcoming increasingly complex challenges every day.
“Councils do and achieve more than what is often seen or portrayed – the work of these teams affects every part of our lives, and are often a lifeline for the most vulnerable members of our communities.
“I hope you’ll join me in celebrating their efforts, and I am looking forward to the winners being announced at our awards ceremony at the COSLA Conference and Exhibition in September.”
This year’s finalists (in no particular order) are:
Category 1: Service innovation and improvement (sponsored by Scottish Water)
Shared ARC Programme – Digital Office for Local Government
Development and implementation of a Chatbot to improve the missed bins ‘experience’ for citizens – West Dunbartonshire Council
OneSource: Making a Difference with Data – Pupil Absence and Attendance – Falkirk Council
Category 2: Achieving better outcomes for the most vulnerable in partnership
Early Help Clackmannanshire – Clackmannanshire Council
My Way To Employment (MWtE) – Aberdeen City Council
A Warm Scottish Welcome – North Lanarkshire Ukrainian Resettlement Project – North Lanarkshire Council
Category 3: Tackling inequalities and improving health and wellbeing (sponsored by Public Health Scotland)
Reaching Out to People at Risk and Removing Barriers to Accessing Drug Support – Aberdeen City Council Community Planning Partnership
Marthas Mammmies – Glasgow City Council and Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health and Social Care Partnership
Breast Feeding Friendly North Lanarkshire – Leading the way in Driving Cultural Change – North Lanarkshire Council
Category 4: Strengthening communities and local democracy
Top CATs! – Dumfries and Galloway Council
Paisley Learning & Cultural Hub – Renfrewshire Council
North Ayrshire Islands Programme (incorporating North Ayrshire Islands Recovery and Renewal Pilot) – North Ayrshire Council
Category 5: Just transition to a net zero economy (sponsored by Amey)
AMIDS District Heating Network – Renfrewshire Council
Improving Inverclyde’s environment through peatland restoration – Inverclyde Council
Shetland Rural Energy Network – Shetland Islands Council
Union tells councils to expect eight days of industrial action
GMB Scotland today confirmed bin strikes will begin within weeks.The union has formally served notice on councils across Scotland to expect eight days of industrial action by members in waste and recycling starting on August 14.
Bins will go unemptied from the smallest villages to the biggest cities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the Fringe and International Festival starts this weekend.
The industrial action comes after pay talks with Cosla, representing Scotland’s councils, stalled. The Scottish Government joined negotiations yesterday [TUESDAY].
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said a rejected pay offer of 3.2% had failed to match the escalating cost of living or the rise offered to council workers in England and Wales.
He said: “We had constructive talks with the Scottish Government and Cosla yesterday but our members are less interested in constructive talks than fair pay.
“The process has gone on too long with too little progress.
“We are more than halfway through the year and there is no more time to waste discussing old offers with new wrapping. Enough is enough.
“Industrial action will start in two weeks unless ministers and local authorities identify the money needed to make an acceptable offer.
“These strikes will be disruptive to all the Scots who rely on our members’ work but would not be necessary if councils had shown a greater urgency and sense of realism.”
Unite announces strike in 18 council areas
Today we served notice to 18 councils that Unite members in Waste and Cleansing, and other services, will strike in 18 councils for 8 days from 14th August.
Strike action is set to begin at 5am on Wednesday 14 August and end at 4:59am on Thursday 22 August at the following 18 councils:
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeenshire Council
Angus Council
City of Edinburgh Council
Dumfries & Galloway Council
Dundee City Council
East Ayrshire Council
East Renfrewshire Council
Falkirk Council
Fife Council
Glasgow City Council
Inverclyde Council
North Ayrshire Council
North Lanarkshire Council
Renfrewshire Council
South Ayrshire Council
The Highland Council
West Lothian Council.
In Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, all Unite and GMB members in Waste and Cleansing will strike. Unite members in Fleet Services will also strike. Unison’s reballot in Waste and Cleansing opened on 26 July, so results are awaited – this does not impact the timetable of the strike action.
On 24 July, Unison began balloting members across the country in schools, early years and family centres, to prepare for a second wave of strike action if needed. Their ballot closes on 29 August.
Unite local government committee will soon meet to discuss balloting these areas.
Talks with the Scottish Government
Yesterday, Unite officials, including your branch secretary Brian Robertson, and those from Unison and GMB, held ‘positive talks’ with Shona Robison MSP, cabinet secretary for finance and local government and COSLA. Unite warned, however, that a new ‘credible offer’ must be tabled ‘imminently’ and said it would not suspend its scheduled strike action until that occurs.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Thousands of Unite members will take strike action next month unless there is a new credible pay offer put on the table.
“Our membership has waited months for an offer which reflects their professionalism and the dedication which they put into delivering vital local services.”
Scottish council workers offered less
The current COSLA pay offer amounts to a 3.2% increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Unite has said the pay offer ‘grossly undervalues’ Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67 pence per hour or 5.2% for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.
Members should note that Unite members south of the border rejected this offer.
In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2% equates to £800 or a 41 pence per hour increase. The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s current pay offer.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite stands ready to enter into meaningful negotiations at any time but our members need to see a significant shift in the coming days to avert strike action. Strike action is not yet inevitable but action from the politicians must be imminent.
“There is a window of opportunity to resolve this dispute but the politicians should be under no illusions that our members will take strike action if necessary to secure the pay offer which they deserve.”
The city council commented online: ‘Members of the trade unions GMB & Unite are planning strike action in Edinburgh from 14 – 22 August.
‘Bin collections & street cleaning services will be severely disrupted across the city during this time.’
The following services are not expected to run during the strike: – Waste & recycling collections, including all communal and kerbside bins & boxes – Street cleansing including litter bins – Recycling centres – Flytipping collections – Bulky uplift service – Public toilets.
‘This is a national dispute over pay, with strike action planned in other councils across the country unless agreement is reached. Discussions are ongoing between COSLA, trade unions and the Scottish Government with a view to agreeing a pay deal and resolving the dispute.
‘Please prepare for the strike action by visiting our website regularly for the latest updates and advice. Please tell neighbours, friends and family who may not have heard about the upcoming strike so they can prepare.’
Council Leader calls for urgent resolution to pay dispute
Cammy Day has called on the Scottish Government, COSLA and trade unions to find a solution to the national pay dispute and prevent significant disruption during Edinburgh’s busiest month.
Trade unions Unite the Union and GMB today announced plans for strike action across the waste and cleansing service in the Capital from 14–22 August.
Strike action is planned in other councils across Scotland unless agreement is reached to end the dispute.
Councillor Day said:“I’m disappointed that negotiations between Scottish Government, COSLA and the unions have so far failed to avert this action across Scotland.
“While acknowledging that talks are ongoing, including yesterday’s meeting with the Cabinet Secretary, urgent progress needs to be made if we are to prevent significant disruption during one of the most important and enjoyable periods in Edinburgh’s calendar.
“I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard. As the lowest funded council in Scotland, it’s time for the Scottish Government to properly fund our capital city and its services.
“I’m extremely concerned about the impact this will have on bin collections and street cleaning services, as well as the cleanliness of our city. But I want to assure residents that we’ll be doing all we can to minimise any impact on essential services.
“We’ve published advice on our website for residents and businesses on how to safely and responsibly store their waste – and will continue to post updates as the situation develops. I’d ask residents to please share this information with any friends, family or neighbours who may not be online.
“We’ll also be writing out to businesses to encourage them to remind their customers that they can return their litter back to their premises for disposal, and to use reusable packaging where possible. We’re also working with our transport and hospitality partners to ensure visitors are aware of the strike and its impact on the city.
I urge the Scottish Government and COSLA to stay round the table with the unions and find a way of averting, what will be, a hugely damaging dispute for Edinburgh – and for Scotland as a whole.”
Council leaders reconvened from recess yesterday (24th July) for a special meeting to discuss the ongoing pay negotiations with Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Unions.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, commented following the meeting: “We are disappointed that the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions have chosen to reject the revised pay offer made on 18th July.
“We have been consistently clear that this offer of 3.2% over 12 months is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the extremely challenging financial situation Local Government is facing. We believe this offer, which is above inflation, is fair, strong and credible. There is no more money available within existing council budgets to fund an increased offer without unacceptable and damaging cuts to jobs and services.
“COSLA remains committed to continuing our negotiations towards finding a solution as quickly as possible, seeking to do all we can to avoid industrial action and its damaging impact on our communities.
“In response to calls from Trade Unions, COSLA Leaders agreed today (24th July) to raise the matter of local government finance and local government pay with the Scottish Government. As no decisions can be taken until these discussions have taken place, we request that the trade unions pause their industrial action.
“COSLA are in the process of contacting the Trade Unions and Scottish Government on this. Council Leaders value the Local Government workforce and their essential work across our communities and remain committed to reaching an agreeable solution as quickly as possible.”
COSLA has made a new pay offer for the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Workforce.The offer, a 3.2% uplift on all Spinal Column Points, covers the period 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025.
This ‘competitive’ offer is:
Worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s current Public Sector Pay Policy.
Higher than current inflation (CPI).
At the very limit of affordability for councils in the current challenging financial circumstances.
Is a strong, fair and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day serving communities across Scotland.
COSLA has requested that our trade unions seek their members’ views on this improved offer and that they suspend plans for industrial action whilst this is considered.
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, said: “Following ongoing and constructive engagement with our Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions, COSLA has today (18th July) written formally to the Trade Unions with a revised pay offer for the SJC Local Government workforce.
“This is for a 3.2% pay uplift at all pay points, for a one-year period of 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, in line with the current SJC pay year. After listening to our Trade Union colleagues, the offer does not propose a change in the pay settlement date, which featured in our earlier offer. It is important to stress that this revised, fair offer is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the severe financial constraints Local Government is facing.
“This strong offer is worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s current Public Sector Pay Policy. It is a strong, fair and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day serving communities across Scotland.
“We value the collective bargaining process with our Trade Union partners and remain committed to reaching a speedy and mutually agreeable resolution to pay discussions. We request that our Trade Union colleagues seek their members’ views on this improved offer and that they suspend any plans for industrial action whilst this is considered.”
Campaigning organisation 38 Degrees said: “This is a momentous election. It is a message from across the UK that people want change. But today is not progress – it is just the chance to deliver it. Labour have won big on a message of change. Now they have to make that change real.
Commenting on the result of the General Election, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “A new dawn has broken. It cannot be a false one.
“We congratulate Labour on its victory. The new Government can offer hope to workers after 14 years of Tory attacks on our communities, our people and our public services. Through cooperation with the Scottish Government, we can invest in jobs and services.
“The change that the new Prime Minister offered during the campaign must start now. This is day one of his Labour Government. We need decisive action to turn our back on the austerity-driven, public service-slashing, trade union-attacking ways of the Tory past.
“It’s time to rebuild. We will work with the Prime Minister to deliver a progressive Scotland that delivers for working people. He must now deliver for us.”
Responding to the result of the UK general election, David McNeil, SCVO Strategic Director of Development, said:“I would like to offer my congratulations to Keir Starmer on his appointment as Prime Minister.
“There is a pressing need for a more humane politics that puts people and communities first. The new government must move quickly to deliver just that.
“Everyday charities, community organisations and faith groups across Scotland deal with the consequences of decisions made at Westminster – on immigration, social security, employment law, the economy and more.
“Our sector holds a wealth of experience in addressing major societal issues. The knowledge we hold should be seen as an asset to policy and practice design from the outset. This is an opportunity that the new UK government must grasp with both hands.
“It is welcome that, over the weekend, the new Prime Minister and First Minister of Scotland met to commit to improving the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments. It is our hope that this reset in relations will benefit voluntary organisations across Scotland, and the communities and people that they serve.”
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit said: “As we witness a change of government, we should be proud of our democracy and grateful to the electoral administrators who make it all happen and to all the candidates, winners and losers, who put themselves up for election.
“We offer special congratulations to all the councillors and council leaders entering parliament.
“We know that local government stands ready to work with the new government and we offer a reminder that national success has local foundations. Labour has set out clear missions for government but these can only be achieved in partnership with local democratic institutions.
“We congratulate the new government and we urge it to set out a new relationship with councils across the country based on genuine collaboration and parity of esteem.”
The Fire Brigade Union said: “Finally, after 14 years of misery, the Tories are gone. Now the work begins to undo the destruction they caused and improve working people’s lives.“
COSLA’s President, Councillor Shona Morrison, has written to the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer and the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, following the announcement of the results of the UK 2024 General Election.
Councillor Morrison said: “Firstly, I would like to extend my congratulations to the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer. Today I have written to the new Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland outlining some of the key issues faced by our local government members and the communities they represent.
“We will welcome opportunities to work closely with the UK Government and Scottish Government as partners to improve the wellbeing of people in our communities, continue on the vitally important journey towards a just transition to net zero, and ensure that those in our communities facing the most difficult challenges are fully supported by their local services.
“Our membership, Scotland’s 32 Councils, are the closest sphere of government to people in our communities, and deliver essential services for those communities every day.
“The incoming Government must listen to local government, take into account of our concerns and expertise, and work in partnership with us to ensure there is fair funding and empowerment to make the most effective decisions for the people we are elected to represent.”
