Scottish Government – Page 21 – The NEN

Over £16 Billion needed in the Scottish Budget to protect essential services, COSLA Warns

COSLA is urging the Scottish Government to provide a £16 billion boost in revenue in the Scottish Budget, to secure fair and sustainable funding for councils.

A demand for a £844 million general capital settlement has also been requested, plus a restoration of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to £955 million, to maintain, repair, expand and secure the future of Council estates.

COSLA has today launched a lobbying campaign urging the Scottish Government to use the upcoming Scottish Budget to provide councils with the fair, sustainable and multi-year funding needed to protect essential local services.

The campaign – ‘Strong Councils, Strong Communities’ – highlights growing pressures facing local government and the very real consequences of continued underfunding for communities across Scotland. The financial pressures in social care and housing are two key areas COSLA are asking the Scottish Government to specifically address in their upcoming budget.

COSLA warns that without urgent action in January’s Budget, councils will be unable to maintain essential services such as social care, education, housing support, roads, and community safety.

COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Ricky Bell, said: “Scotland’s councils deliver the services that people rely on every single day — from caring for older and vulnerable people to keeping schools open, streets safe and communities thriving. Councils are facing greater demand than ever and are required to do more with significantly less. This is unsustainable.

“The upcoming Scottish Budget is a pivotal moment. The Scottish Government must deliver a settlement that matches the scale of the challenge. Without fair funding, communities will see services reduced and inequalities deepen, and we will struggle to meet national targets in key areas such as child poverty, housing, and net zero”

This year, councils continue to face rising inflation, increasing demand for services, and the continued impact of workforce pressures across social care and education. COSLA’s analysis shows that even maintaining current services requires substantial additional investment.

As a fair and sustainable overall financial settlement COSLA’s key asks from the campaign include:

An immediate £750m investment in social care.
Flexibility for councils to make local decisions that respond to community needs.
Recognition of local government as an equal partner in delivering national priorities and tackling inequalities.

COSLA President, Councillor Shona Morrison, added: “Councils work tirelessly to deliver for Scotland’s communities, however, continued pressure on resources makes this increasingly challenging.

“This is about safeguarding what matters most, support for the most vulnerable, opportunities for young people, support for families, and safe, thriving communities. We hope the Budget will reflect the vital role Local Government plays in Scotland’s public services.”

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Scottish Government launches research into Cultural Export Service for Scotland’s arts sectors

The Scottish Government will partner with the British Council to undertake a scoping exercise exploring the establishment of a dedicated Export Service for Scotland’s arts and culture sectors.

The project, running from December 2025 to May 2026, will examine the challenges and opportunities facing Scottish cultural organisations and artists in accessing international markets, identify gaps in current support, and develop recommendations for a new service to boost cultural exports.

This exercise is part of the Scottish Government’s International Culture Strategy action plan and follows increased calls from across Scotland’s cultural sectors for enhanced support in navigating post-Covid-19 and post-Brexit challenges.

The music sector has been active with the STUC, Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Committee, and the Scottish Music Industry Association all calling for dedicated export support.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “As part of our International Culture Strategy, we continue to explore how best to support cultural export and exchange and help our culture and creative sectors to realise their potential on the international stage.

“British Council Scotland works across all art forms but doesn’t represent any specific sector, ensuring they give us the independent, evidence-based recommendations we need. They’ll also bring valuable international perspective by examining how other countries support cultural export, helping us learn from best practice models around the world.”

Norah Campbell, Head of Arts at British Council Scotland, added: “Supporting the international ambitions of the Scottish arts sector is at the heart of the British Council’s work.

“Cultural export is complex, sophisticated, and different art forms have very different needs. Some sectors for example require access to international galleries and major markets for showcasing opportunities that springboard international work, while others involve design and product export.

“This scoping exercise will engage with the Scottish cultural sector to understand these varied challenges and needs. We’re keen to hear from artists, organisations and practitioners across all disciplines. This input will be crucial in shaping recommendations that truly reflect what the sector needs to succeed internationally.”

The research will actively engage with Scotland’s cultural sectors through surveys, consultation groups, and in-depth interviews beginning in early 2026 and artists, agents, promoters, managers, and organisations across all art forms will have opportunities to share their experiences and expertise to help inform the recommendations.

Key art sector development organisations and international initiatives including Craft Scotland, Publishing Scotland, Made in Scotland, Showcase Scotland, the Scottish Music Industry Association will be consulted, alongside interviews with established cultural export services in other countries.

The study will deliver:

Analysis of export support needs across Scotland’s culture and creative sectors, mapping existing initiatives and identifying which sub-sectors could benefit most
Comparative analysis of cultural export support models from other countries
Recommendations on service functions and how they would relate to existing Scottish and UK organisations
Delivery model options appraisal
Cost estimates for establishing a pilot and/or full service

The British Council will work with specialist researchers to roll out surveys, analyse data, and draw international comparisons. The findings from the research and report will help inform the Scottish Government’s decisions on future support for cultural export and exchange.

A final report will be shared in the summer of 2026.

Auditor General: Scottish Government must deliver on NHS reform plans

The NHS in Scotland has not improved in line with commitments made by the Scottish Government, despite having more staff and more money.

Health spending in 2024/25 was over £20 billion – a £3 billion real terms increase from 2019 and 25 per cent higher than a decade ago.

The NHS now employs more than 160,000 whole-time equivalent staff, a 20,000 increase since 2019.

However, despite health boards making unprecedented savings, the NHS in Scotland remains financially unsustainable. In 2024/25, boards struggled to break even and seven needed Scottish Government loans.

Activity has increased in acute hospital settings, helping cut waiting times and waiting lists, but is still below pre-pandemic levels. Demand is high across the health system, and it remains to be seen if this progress can be sustained.

The Scottish Government has made progress in setting out its plans for reform, including a short-term operational improvement plan and longer term health and social care frameworks.

But the published improvement plan lacks clear actions, timeframes and accountability, which will make reporting its progress difficult.

And some of the ambitions within the documents, such as moving more care into communities, are longstanding and have yet to be delivered.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: ‘Despite increased spending, the NHS in Scotland remains unsustainable and it will be extremely challenging to eradicate long waits by the spring of 2026.

‘The plan and frameworks the Scottish Government has put in place for
reforming the NHS are welcome. But there is still a persistent implementation gap between policy ambitions dating back over a decade and delivery on the ground.

‘This time round, it’s vital that the Scottish Government delivers on its reform plans. That means publicly setting out the detailed, measurable actions that will enable change and help everyone understand how a different health service will work.’

Read the Auditor General’s annual overview of the NHS here:

https://bit.ly/NHS_Scotland_25

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Scottish Government welcomes Independent Culture Fair Work Taskforce recommendations

16 recommendations to improve working conditions in the creative industries

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has welcomed recommendations from an independent Taskforce set up to advise on current employment conditions in Scotland’s culture and creative industries.

Following extensive engagement with the sectors, the Culture Fair Work Taskforce has published a total of 16 recommendations for how Fair Work conditions in the sector could be improved, in response to concerns raised around precarious freelance work, unpaid internships and fair pay and conditions.

The recommendations include:

the creation of a disputes and adjudication mechanism to handle disputes between employers and staff
safeguarding of creatives’ work against theft from AI misappropriation, and
an increased role for Creative Scotland in ensuring Fair Work.

The Culture Secretary said: “I am very grateful to members of the independent Taskforce for their work on this report, which identifies a number of areas for improvement when it comes to how Fair Work is embedded in Scotland’s creative industries.

“I will take time to carefully consider the detail of the recommendations for Scottish Government and will update Parliament in due course on the actions we will take in response. Given that some would intersect with reserved legislation, I will also be writing urgently to ask my UK Government counterparts to consider what actions they can take.”

Briana Pegado, Chair of the independent Taskforce said: “It has been a pleasure chairing the Independent Culture Fair Work Taskforce with colleagues from across the creative industries and culture sector.

“Union representation, arts organisations, industry membership bodies, enterprise agencies, local authorities, creative networks, historic bodies, museums and freelancers have all been represented. Creative Scotland has also been represented on this task force. I am so grateful to the Taskforce members that have contributed their time, energy and expertise to this work.

“There has been a real commitment to crafting a set of recommendations that speak to areas as broad as fair pay and remuneration to the impact of AI on the cultural sector workforce. Considerations of equity and inclusion as well as how fair work may be enforced are all part of our recommendations.

“I am confident that many of our recommendations signal radical, innovative solutions to fair work that will help Scotland reach its ambitions to be a Fair Work Nation by 2030.

“Models across the continent have been considered and approaches across different industries have been reviewed. I am confident that our recommendations and draft charter prove to be a roadmap for the future of Fair Work that demonstrates a real appetite for systemic change can exist alongside practical solutions grounded in deeply embedded partnership working.

“I hope the Cabinet Secretary and other Ministers take our recommendations into consideration and I thank them for trusting us with this piece of work. I look forward to their response.”

Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force – Recommendations and Key Issues for a Fair Work Charter – gov.scot

Sustainable alternative to cremation

First new option since 1902 introduced

Environmentally-friendly hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, was introduced under draft regulations laid in the Scottish Parliament testerday.

The regulations will, if approved, give an option for people interested in alternatives to burial or cremation for the first time in more than a century.

Through this process, the body is wrapped in a silk or woollen shroud, or other biodegradable material, before being placed in a chamber with hot water and chemicals, speeding up decomposition. Remains can be returned to next of kin, similarly to ashes following cremation.

International evidence suggests hydrolysis is more sustainable than traditional cremation, which uses large amounts of natural gas.

The Scottish Government consulted on the issue in 2023, with 84% of those who responded supporting the introduction of hydrolysis.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “We are introducing these regulations today following extensive consultation which has shown significant public support for the introduction of new, environmentally-friendly alternatives to burial or cremation. This included hydrolysis – which is already in use in some countries including Ireland, Canada and the USA.

“These regulations, if passed by Parliament, will give an option for people interested in alternatives to burial or cremation for the first time in more than 100 years.

“We are not suggesting hydrolysis replaces or displaces traditional methods of burial or cremation in any way.

“It is a matter of individual choice, but it is important that we ensure bereaved families and friends can have confidence in the care and dignity given to their loved ones when they pass.”

National review of group-based child sexual abuse response

Professor Alexis Jay to chair National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate will undertake an independent national review of responses to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Professor Alexis Jay will chair the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group from January 2026, and will provide expert advice to Ministers on the findings of the national review as it reports on its progress.

The work of the national review will be undertaken alongside that of the independent Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, and work already underway by Police Scotland to review previous cases, to gather evidence on the extent of group-related child sexual abuse and exploitation. This evidence will inform any decision on the need for a future inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Our thoughts are with victims of child abuse who have already suffered so much – this matter must be handled sensitively and with the utmost respect and consideration for their experiences.

“The issue of group-based sexual abuse and exploitation of children is sensitive and complex, and the Scottish Government has been giving it very detailed consideration.

“We have been clear that we are prepared to give every consideration to an inquiry on this issue, and that any such decision needs to be based on information, evidence and a greater understanding of the scale and nature of this form of abuse and of the responses to it.

“Professor Alexis Jay has extensive expertise in this area, and her insights will be invaluable to Ministers as this work is taken forward.

“I have written to the leaders and spokespeople of other political parties to offer a briefing with Professor Jay and Police Scotland on this work in the new year.”

Professor Alexis Jay said: “I am pleased to take on the role of Chair of the National Group, and to build on the excellent leadership of my predecessors, Iona Colvin and Sarah Taylor.

“There is much to do and do quickly. The work of the independent Inspectorates should provide the evidence for Scottish Ministers to determine whether further action is required to disrupt child sexual exploitation in Scotland.”

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Craig Naylor said: “His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland acknowledge the announcement that along with the Care Inspectorate, HM Inspectorate of Education and Healthcare Improvement Scotland we will work jointly on this independent national review of responses to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.”

Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, Jackie Irvine said: “This an issue of vital importance to victims and communities and we look forward to working closely with partners to take this forward.”

CAMHS waiting times standard met for a year

Sustained improvement in mental health care for children and young people

Progress on waiting times for children and young people waiting for specialist mental health care has been maintained for a year, according to the latest statistics.

New figures from Public Health Scotland show that between July and September, 91.5% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This exceeds the national standard of 90%.

CAMHS provides specialist NHS support for children and young people with serious mental health needs. To provide alternatives to this specialist service, over £80 million has been invested in community mental health services, plus £16 million a year for school counselling.

From this year, £15 million annually will go to local authorities to maintain community-based support for children and young people who need it.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “I welcome the continued progress in these specialist children and adolescent mental health services.

“Over the last year, these services have exceeded the national standard, with 91.5% of children and young people starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS in the latest quarter.

“This achievement is down to the dedication of our CAMHS staff, who work tirelessly to support families during some of their most difficult moments. We have invested significantly in strengthening services, increasing CAMHS staffing by more than 50% over the last decade and exceeding our commitment to fund 320 additional posts by 2026.

“Local CAMHS teams are responding quickly, with half of all children and young people beginning treatment within five weeks. We are also seeing positive signs, with the overall CAMHS waiting list decreasing by 5.3% in the previous year.

“While we continue working with Boards to reduce waiting lists, we recognise that services remain under pressure and that performance may vary in coming months. There is still more to do to ensure performance is consistent across the country, and we are supporting all NHS Boards to meet the standard and continue delivering improvements.”

Latest figures highlight 128 children waiting more than a year for mental health treatment

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for parity of action and parity of spend as new figures highlight that 128 children and young people have been waiting more than a year for mental health treatment in Scotland.

These figures were highlighted in the latest waiting time statistics from Public Health Scotland published yesterday (2^nd December, indicating that 128 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the quarter ending September 2025.

This is an increase from 115 for the same period last year.

Additionally, 277 individuals have been waiting between nine months and a year for treatment.

This comes against the background of a mental health emergency, with an increasing demand on services, exacerbated by the long shadow of the Covid lockdown and cost-of-living crisis.

The Scottish Government’s target, dating back to December 2014, is for 90 per cent of children and young people to start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of poor mental health in children and young people were at unprecedented levels, with overstretched and under-resourced services struggling to keep pace with growing demand.

However, despite this greatly increased demand, only 0.82 per cent of the total frontline NHS budget was spent on CAMHS in the 2023/24 financial year, amounting to £134.188 million (real terms). This equates to just 82p in every £100 of the NHS budget.²

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “The latest figures highlighting that 128 children and young people have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment are extremely alarming.

“While the fact that the Scottish Government is meeting its waiting time target is to be welcomed, many children and young people are still waiting years for help, which worsens their mental health and is a sure-fire way to add to their pain.

“What we need is not just parity of esteem between mental health and physical health, it’s parity of action and parity of spend.

“We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living. This is also having a negative impact on classroom behaviour, affecting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.

“Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits.”

Green MSP calls for free bus travel for everyone under 30

Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian has called for the upcoming Scottish budget to extend free bus travel to everyone under 30, describing it as a lifeline for young workers and families in the area.

This would build on the groundbreaking free bus pass scheme already delivered by the Scottish Greens for those under 22. Over 250 million free journeys have been taken by young people since the scheme’s launch, with over 45 million of those in Edinburgh.

Free bus travel for young people has been one of the greatest successes of devolution, saving them and their families a fortune and helping to tackle the climate crisis.

Extending it to everyone under 30 would give over half a million more people a free bus pass, opening up new opportunities to find work or education and to see more of Scotland.

Lorna Slater the Scottish Green MSP for the Lothian region said: “The Greens’ introduction of free bus travel for everyone under 22 has been a huge success for people across our capital city.

“Thousands of young people across our communities are saving money, finding new opportunities, and helping to tackle the climate crisis.

“This scheme is one of the clearest achievements of the Scottish Parliament. Families all over Edinburghhave saved thousands of pounds in a period when bills and other costs have otherwise soared.

“But the cost of living crisis doesn’t stop for people the day they turn 22. For many young people the impact of losing their bus pass is huge, with new travel costs eating into their budgets.

“Too many workers in their 20s are trapped in a cycle of ever-rising costs and insecure work, with far too many in the citystruggling to cover their rent and bills every month.

“Lowering the cost of public transport is a win-win for people and planet. That’s why the Scottish Greens are pushing for more people to get a free bus pass as soon as possible.”

RCEM: Scottish government must act now to avoid a “truly ugly winter”

12-hour waits in EDs joint worst on record for October

The Scottish government must take urgent action on overcrowding and delayed discharges, or Emergency Departments (EDs) in Scotland will be completely swamped – and patients will be the ones who suffer.

ED performance figures, released today (2 December 2025) by Public Health Scotland (PHS) for October 2025, showed that one in 16 (7,362) patients waited 12 or more hours before being admitted, transferred or discharged in that month.

That is the same proportion as last October, which was the worst since records began in 2007 for 12-hour waits.

The figures also showed:

16,659 patients, or 14.1% of all attendances, waited eight or more hours, the worst of any October on record, and an increase of 1,211 on last year

Only 62.8% of patients were seen within four hours at major (Type-1) Emergency Departments, which is the worst four-hour performance for any October since records began and far below the target of 95%

There was an average of 1,981 beds each day occupied by patients medically fit to be discharged

These figures come shortly after the publication of the Scottish government’s winter plan, in which it pledged £20m to tackle delayed discharges across the devolved nation.

Dr Fiona Hunter, RCEM Vice President for Scotland, said: “The figures for October demonstrate the unacceptable pressures our departments are under, and just how bad things are as we go into winter.

“Now, seasonal pressures such as flu are beginning to hit EDs and the system is starting to crack under pressure,which means patients and staff are suffering. And we are only in the early stages of winter so it will likely become even worse for patients if nothing changes.

“As our hospitals deal with the inevitable strains and stresses on vital resources that the colder weather brings we’ll once again see the consequences of the failure to properly tackle the issues EDs face; overcrowding, long delays and avoidable deaths.

“The number of patients experiencing the longest waits is utterly unacceptable and something must change. Clinicians, through no fault of their own, are struggling to provide our patients with the care they deserve and need.

“Last month, we welcomed the government’s £20 million funding announcement to boost social care capacity this winter, and its accompanying plan for the health service to tackle the cold months.

“This showed that the government understood the issue. But we need that understanding to translate into further meaningful short and long-term action. Urgent action is needed to ensure that health boards can make the improvements that are needed to improve patient flow and tackle delayed discharges.

“Our EDs will only get through the coldest months if the government steps in – or we all need to brace ourselves for a truly ugly winter.”

Graphs of the data can be found on the RCEM website.

#ResuscitateEmergencyCare

Tackling pyrotechnics at football matches

Consultation on Football Banning Orders

Views are being sought on whether the law on Football Banning Orders (FBOs) should be updated to crack down on pyrotechnics use and other forms of football-related disorder.

Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown has launched a public consultation seeking views and evidence on the legislation around FBOs and whether it needs to be improved so it meets current needs.

FBOs are court orders that prevent individuals from attending all regulated matches in the UK, and they can be imposed for engaging in violence or disorder.

The consultation will explore whether extending the reach of FBOs could be an effective deterrent against disorder such as pyrotechnics misuse, online abuse and other emerging challenges associated with the game.

The consultation was informed by an expert group including football authorities and justice agencies, set up by the Scottish Government last year.

Ms Brown said: “Football fans are passionate about the sport, supporting their club and of course our national team.

“The vast majority of supporters are well-behaved and want to enjoy football safely. However, the behaviour of a small minority can put others at risk and spoil their enjoyment of the game and have consequences for the football club.

“Whilst we have significantly strengthened the law to tackle pyrotechnic misuse in recent years, so that those who carry fireworks and flares into football stadia can face fines and up to six months in prison, pyrotechnic misuse at games remains an issue.

“The legislation governing Football Banning Orders in Scotland was introduced in 2006, when the use of flares at matches and harmful social media behaviour associated with the game were much less common.

“While FBOs can already be imposed on conviction for pyrotechnics offences that involve violence or disorder, we want to hear from people whether the law needs to change so these orders could be used more widely for pyrotechnics possession and misuse – ultimately to become a more effective deterrent and keep people safe.

“We have worked with football authorities, fans’ groups and justice partners on this consultation and I would encourage anyone with an interest to give their views.”

Alan Marshall, Chair of the Football Safety Officers Association Scotland, said: ““The Football Safety Officers Association Scotland welcomes the launch of this consultation.

“Safety officers across the country see first-hand the evolving challenges in ensuring a safe environment at football matches, including the increased misuse of pyrotechnics, which are illegal and becoming a bigger issue at football matches across Europe.

“Football Banning Orders are an important tool in helping prevent disorder, and to help stop the actions of a small number of supporters negatively impacting the experience of law-abiding football fans. It is appropriate that the legislation is reviewed to reflect modern realities.”

Consultation on Football Banning Orders.