Scottish Government – Page 78 – The NEN

Teachers’ strikes: new offer tabled

Most teachers will see their salaries rise by 11.5% in April – IF a new pay offer is accepted

LOCAL Government umbrella body COSLA last night submitted an improved offer to unions to resolve the long-running teachers pay dispute.

The deal – the fifth offered to unions – would mean an overall increase of more than £5,000 over two years for the 70% of classroom teachers who are at the top of their main grade pay scale.

It would amount to a cumulative rise of almost 30% for most teachers since January 2018 and would bring the starting salary for a fully qualified teacher – already the highest in the UK – to £37,719 after probation.

The revised offer, agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA, is:

2022-23

6% for all staff earning up to £80,000 from 1 April 2022
£4,800 for all those earning in excess of £80,000

2023-24

5.5% for all staff earning up to £80,000 from 1 April 2023
£4,400 for all those earning in excess of £80,000

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Teachers make an invaluable contribution to the lives of our children and young people. This significant offer, if accepted by unions, would see teacher pay increase by almost 30% since January 2018.

“While union demands for an in-year 10% increase are unaffordable within the Scottish Government’s fixed budget, we have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved.

“The Scottish Government is supporting this new offer with additional funding of £156 million. This is on top of the £50 million that we have already provided to local authorities in support of an enhanced pay offer for teachers.

“The offer is being made at a time of extraordinary financial pressure on the Scottish Government budget. Difficult decisions will have to be made to free up the required resources. This reflects our commitment to reach a fair agreement and avoid further disruption to children and young people’s education.

“I have written to the unions asking that their members are given the opportunity to consider this new offer, which is the fifth to be tabled. While they do so, I have asked that they suspend any planned industrial action. This would minimise any further disruption to learning, particularly in the run up to the SQA exam diet.”

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “Given the funding assurances received from the Scottish Government, Leaders have agreed to submit a revised offer to the Trade Unions tonight.

“COSLA Leaders are clear that it is in all of our interests, not least those of children, young people and families, to conclude the teachers’ pay negotiations as quickly as we can to bring back stability and certainty in our schools.

“We are determined to provide a fair and affordable pay offer to all our employees, including teachers. In that regard, following today’s meeting Leaders agreed to mandate me to take a refreshed offer to the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) and we hope that this is acceptable to them.”

Teachers’ union EIS responded late last might: “The EIS has now received formal notification of a revised pay offer from COSLA. This came well after details of the revised offer were shared with media outlets. This is disrespectful of the appropriate negotiating process through the SNCT.”

The EIS, who had been seeking a 10% rise, will look at the detail of the latest offer today before deciding whether to put the offer to members.

Planning for greener communities

New long-term plan and policy comes into effect

Projects returning former industrial or derelict sites to community use will be more likely to be approved following the introduction of long term planning reforms.

Planning Minister Tom Arthur visited the £4.2 million Lochshore development at the former Glengarnock Steelworks in Ayrshire to see progress transforming a former heavy industry site into parkland for the benefit of local people and visitors.

Local authorities are encouraged to support proposals for development that will help restore green spaces under the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), as part of local development plans. The policy against which planning applications will be assessed for the next decade comes into effect today.

Policies in the NPF4 will also:

enable more renewable energy generation, outside National Parks and National Scenic Areas, to support the transition away from reliance on fossil fuels
Regenerate city and town centres to help them adapt to economic change while restricting some out of town retail and drive through developments
Support the delivery of good quality, affordable homes in neighbourhoods where people can easily access shops, schools and workplaces within a 20 minute walk or cycle

Mr Arthur said: “The Scottish Government has supported this transformation from a derelict site which was holding back development in North Ayrshire into a significant new visitor attraction and sports facility.

“Our reforms represent a turning point for planning, a strong signal of support for healthier communities and prosperous local economies. They can help promote local renewal at sites across Scotland in line with the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

“This Framework gives local planners across the country the green light to build the fairer, greener Scotland we want to see to tackle climate change and benefit future generations.”

North Ayrshire Council Provost Anthea Dickson said: “We are delighted to welcome the Minister and show what an incredible facility we have here in the Garnock Valley.

“Since officially opening late last year, the Lochshore Park Hub has already proven to be a popular destination for local residents and visitors alike. Not only is it an attractive, vibrant facility but as we move on to the next stages of its development, the benefits it provides will become even greater.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without close collaboration with the local community who have been integral to its development from the very early stages – it’s a real testament to community spirit.”

Find out more about NPF4 here.

Getting better: NHS Lothian moved to Stage 2 for paediatric audiology

NHS Lothian will move to Stage 2 of NHS Scotland’s national performance framework for paediatric audiology following improvements.

The health board has made significant progress, completing almost 81% of the recommendations outlined by the British Academy of Audiology (BAA) following an independent review of services in 2021. This includes improvements in governance and culture.

As part of the Stage 2 escalation level, robust measures will remain in place, ensuring that Scottish Government officials continue to provide direct support to NHS Lothian.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The de-escalation of NHS Lothian to Stage 2 for paediatric audiology is a positive step forward and highlights the significant progress the board has made towards the BAA’s recommendations.

“I would like to thank all staff at the board for their hard work to implement robust and sustainable changes, to continue to improve the service and to deliver high quality patient care. I want to ensure families across Scotland are assured their child is getting the best possible audiology support.

“We will work closely with and support the board over the coming months as it continues to provide high quality services. A wider Independent review of audiology services in Scotland is on-going and due to report to the Scottish Government this Spring.”

NHS Lothian was moved to escalation Stage 3 in December 2021 on the NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework for Paediatric Audiology.

An independent audit and governance review into the Paediatric Audiology service at NHS Lothian was established following the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Investigative report into Child A’s audiology care at the health board. Following that publication, the BAA was commissioned by NHS Lothian to help fulfil recommendations from that report.

The decision on a board’s Stage 3 Escalated position sits with the Director General for Health and Social Care.

The BAA report and recommendations is here.

New measures to boost hospitality and town centre recovery

Hospitality businesses will be able to place tables and chairs on the pavement outside their premises without submitting a planning application under measures expected to come into force at the end of next month.

Strong support was expressed in a public consultation for the extension of permitted development rights to enable more cafés, bars and restaurants to offer outdoor eating and drinking. Regulations to implement the measures were laid in the Scottish Parliament on Friday 10 February for approval by MSPs.

Councils will, however, retain powers to prevent and deal with obstructions that make it difficult for people to access pavements safely and effectively, for example people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments, or families with children in pushchairs.

The 12-week consultation also backed the relaxation of planning rules for the conversion of certain premises into cafes, restaurants, or small-scale offices, as well as the installation of larger electric vehicle charging equipment in car parks. If approved by Parliament, all these measures would be allowed under certain circumstances without the need for a planning application.

Planning Minister Tom Arthur said: “These measures will support Scotland’s town and city centre businesses to thrive.

“More flexible use of outdoor space can help the hospitality industry recover from the pandemic and cost crisis, while making city and town centres more attractive and welcoming.

“The important safeguards for councils seek to ensure that no one should be prevented from using pavements and visiting town and city centres safely. A more streamlined approach to changes of use can help businesses respond more rapidly to shifting circumstances, support reuse of vacant premises and encourage the return of workers and shoppers to our town and city centres.

“Simplifying planning rules for electric vehicle chargers will support the roll-out of infrastructure across Scotland as part of our commitment to tackling climate change and making Scotland a Net Zero nation.

“These measures will help deliver our ambition to create a fairer, greener and wealthier Scotland, by making places more attractive for people to live, work and visit.”

New Scottish Flood Forecast informs public of flooding three days in advance

Communities across Scotland will be able to prepare and take action sooner to protect themselves from flooding as a new three-day Scottish Flood Forecast launches.

Developed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Met Office, the Scottish Flood Forecast provides the earliest indication possible of when and where flooding is expected over the next three days, and whether the source is from rivers, surface water or the sea.

In addition, the colour coded map on SEPA’s website describes the potential impacts on communities and links to advice and information on what protective action people can take if required. It also offers reassurance when significant flooding is not expected.

The Scottish Flood Forecast was developed following extensive research involving the public, community flood groups, emergency responders, partner organisations and both SEPA and Met Office employees. Feedback from more than 200 users was also gathered during a trial phase from May last year.

Gail Walker is from the Tillicoultry, Devonside and Coalsnaughton Flood Group (Tideco): “The Scottish Flood Forecast is an important information source for Tideco. Advance warning of flooding supports us to work out how we can best respond to weather events with the resources we have.

“Tillicoultry has a number of flooding issues and is a known flooding ‘hot spot’. This can include surface water and sewage flooding within residential streets, as well as flooding from the Tillicoultry Burn and the River Devon, which both have a history of having flooded out homes in the past. Whilst we have some flood defence measures in place, we still have areas that are vulnerable.

“The Scottish Flood Forecast is a useful trigger for the group to plan, prepare and to make sure volunteers are in areas where we know there is the potential for flooding. The key role of Tideco is to warn, inform and offer support to those at risk of flooding or who may have been impacted.”

The forecast is produced every morning, 365 days a year, and published on SEPA’s website. It is an additional tool for the public to use alongside the current Floodline service, which issues shorter notice Regional Flood Alerts and Local Flood Warnings to those signed up, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “Flooding can cause utter devastation to people and communities, as we saw again in several parts of the country in November and December last year.

“The impact of the climate emergency, across the world and here in Scotland, means that flooding will be more frequent. That is why it’s so important that we increase community resilience and take action to manage flood risk.

“The Scottish Flood Forecast will give people a three day look ahead to help make plans for travel and ensure safety and is a product of the excellent partnership working between SEPA and the Met Office.

“This new three-day forecast is a helpful addition to the other important services, such as Floodline, that the Scottish Flood Forecasting Service provides.”

Nicole Paterson, SEPA Chief Executive, added: “The Scottish Flood Forecast has been the biggest change to SEPA’s flood warning service in the last decade and is a major step forward in helping communities become more resilient to flooding.

“This winter we were reminded why that is so important, as parts of Scotland experienced damaging impacts from flooding – notably Aberdeenshire and Angus in November and Dumfries and Galloway in December.

“While the Scottish Flood Forecast currently displays information at a national level, work will continue on the forecast to gradually introduce localised information.”

Ian Cameron, Met Office Markets Director, said: “Every day the Met Office and SEPA teams work in close partnership to publish the Scottish Flood Forecast, providing guidance to the flood forecasting team at the Scottish Flood Forecasting Service (SFFS) with the latest weather information.

“Working together in the SFFS Partnership enables the Met Office and SEPA to achieve more together and create a more resilient environment.”

The Scottish Flood Forecast can be viewed at www.sepa.org.uk/scottishfloodforecast.

“A service on the brink”

Without reform NHS dentistry will go from crisis to collapse

Following yesterday’s debate in the Scottish Parliament the British Dental Association has urged the Scottish Government to deliver meaningful reform to NHS dentistry by the autumn, stressing failure to do so will take the service from crisis to collapse.

On Tuesday Ministers announced a ‘bridging payment’ – originally due to lapse on 1 April 2023 – which uprated NHS fees by 1.1 would continue to October 2023. With spiralling costs BDA Scotland has continued to stress that the traditional high volume/low margin model NHS dentistry works to was now unsustainable and removing the payment would push practices to bankruptcy or into the private sector.

Despite needed progress on this extension, BDA Scotland warns a new sustainable model must be in place by 31 October, otherwise the extension will only delay the inevitable. Practices are already facing the risk of providing care that involves laboratory work – like dentures – at a loss.

NHS dentistry in Scotland has not returned to anything resembling business as usual. Recent data has indicated claims submitted by NHS dentists for dental work are 43% down on 2019 levels and suggest a growing exodus from the NHS workforce.

David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “There was little need for a debate on whether NHS dentistry in Scotland is in crisis. On access, on workforce, on inequalities, wherever data exists it points to a service on the brink.

“The Scottish Government made the right call by not prematurely pulling the plug on vital support.

“The question is now whether come October we’ll have the reforms needed to give this service a future. Failure to do so will take us from crisis to collapse.”

Scotland commits £500,000 emergency funding for Türkiye and Syria

Funding to support humanitarian aid efforts

£500,000 in emergency funding is to be given to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support the humanitarian aid efforts following the severe earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

Regions of southern and central Türkiye and western Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the early morning of Monday 6^th February. The earthquake has caused a significant loss of life and severe damage to homes and infrastructure. The funding will enable the DEC to focus on priorities including emergency food, hygiene supplies and blankets.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The scenes over the last few days from Türkiye and Syria are heart wrenching. This earthquake has caused a huge amount of damage and significant loss of life that will be felt for some time to come.

“There is an urgent need to support the humanitarian efforts being made to help those affected in Türkiye and Syria.

“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting efforts in the region and members of our emergency services have already been deployed to help the search and rescue operation on the ground.

“We will provide £500,000 in humanitarian aid to the DEC Appeal to support those affected with medical care, shelter, food and clean water.

Members of the public can also pledge support and make donations to the DEC Appeal in a variety of ways and I encourage everyone to consider donating to the DEC if they can do so.

“The people of Türkiye and Syria desperately need our support.”

The DEC Appeal for Türkiye and Syria launches today (Thursday 9 February 2023). Details are available on the DEC website for how to donate to the Appeal.

UK sends life saving support to earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria

The UK will provide vital items such as tents and blankets to help survivors cope with the freezing conditions, as part of its immediate response to the crisis

immediate extra support will help save lives and prevent suffering
package to include thousands of tents, blankets and hygiene kits
world-class UK surgical team and equipment will help address urgent medical needs
77 strong UK search and rescue team already on the ground helping to find survivors

The UK government yesterday (Wednesday 8 February) announced further support to Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquakes.

The UK will provide vital items such as tents and blankets to help survivors cope with the freezing conditions, as part of its immediate response to the crisis. The equipment being urgently deployed from the UK’s stockpile will meet the needs of up to 15,000 people.

The UK is also providing a world-class team of UK medics with surgical capabilities and equipment to provide vital emergency treatment.

The announcement comes in the critical 72 hours following the first earthquake. The support will be used to urgently provide life saving interventions to those who need it most in the region as temperatures plummet.

The UK is coordinating closely with the Turkish government and United Nations (UN) in Syria to ensure our support meets the needs on the ground and that we can stay responsive to emerging needs in the coming days.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The UK is sending life saving kit to Turkey and Syria. This will include vital medical expertise and hygiene kits and also tents and blankets to help people keep warm and sheltered in the terrible freezing conditions they are having to endure on top of the devastation of the earthquakes.

Our priority is to ensure life saving assistance is given to those most in need, coordinated with the Turkish government, UN and international partners.

The UK is prioritising what the Turkish government and UN are asking for. The additional support will save lives by bringing world-class UK expertise and equipment to the region.

This £8 million of additional support comes after a team of 77 UK search and rescue specialists, equipment and four search dogs arrived in Gaziantep yesterday to begin their life saving operations.

Their specialist skills and state-of-the-art heavy duty equipment will allow the UK team to cut their way into buildings and locate survivors in the rubble during this vital time.

The government remains in contact with British humanitarian workers in the affected areas, and we stand ready to assist any British nationals affected.

Carer Support Payment to be piloted by the end of this year

Timetable for introduction of future benefits confirmed

Plans for the introduction of further Scottish Government benefits have been published as part of an updated Social Security Programme Business Case.

This confirms that Carer Support Payment will be the next payment to be introduced. Social Security Scotland will begin a pilot by the end of this year followed by national launch in spring 2024.

A consultation on this new payment ran between February and May 2022 and the response to this is due to be published in the coming weeks.

Carer Support Payment will replace the Carer’s Allowance for new applications.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop processes that will ensure those already in receipt of Carer’s Allowance will have their award transferred automatically to Social Security Scotland – so that people will not need to reapply.

Carer Support Payment will be the 14^th benefit to be introduced since the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 was unanimously approved by the Scottish Parliament.

Ben Macpherson, Minister for Social Security said: ““Introducing 14 new payments in just over five years is no mean feat. We have built this social security system from scratch, working with the people who will use it to make sure that we provide an improved experience and one that treats people with dignity, fairness and respect.

“Our delivery progressed despite a global pandemic. This was recognised by Audit Scotland who commended us for continuing to ‘successfully deliver new and complex social security benefits in challenging circumstances’.

“We are already providing money that is making a real difference for families on low incomes, people who need help paying for a funeral, disabled people, carers, young people entering the workplace and to help people heat their homes. The people accessing this service are happy with it too – with 89% telling us their experience has been ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

“Our success to date has not made us complacent. Establishing new payments and transferring awards in a safe and secure way continues to be our priority. We have gained a significant amount of experience and knowledge through our delivery to date. This is all reflected in the timetable we have announced.

“I look forward to these payments being up and running and seeing the reach of our new social security system going even further – investing £7.3 billion by 2027-28 supporting 2 million people each year.”

Schools: Something’s got to give (2)

EIS to escalate strikes to include targeted action

YESTERDAY, 7 February, marked one whole year since Scottish teaching unions submitted their pay claim for 2022-23 via the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).

A year on, that pay claim remains unsettled and teachers across the country are engaged in a programme of industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay settlement.

As a result, the EIS has announced an escalation of its action to include targeted strike action in schools within the constituencies of key decision makers within the Scottish Government and COSLA.

EIS Office Bearers and other senior EIS Representatives took part in photo calls outside the Scottish Government and COSLA HQ in Edinburgh yesterday, delivering Birthday cards to mark the 1st anniversary of the teachers’ pay claim being submitted.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “It is deeply regrettable that the continuing inaction, obfuscation and spin from the Scottish Government and COSLA on teachers’ pay has led to an escalation of our programme of strike action.

“It has now been a year since our pay claim was submitted, and teachers should have had their pay rise in their pay packet last April. Instead, the Scottish Government and COSLA initially offered a pathetic 2% pay settlement – at a time when inflation was nearly four times that amount.

“Since then, the Scottish Government and COSLA have dithered, delayed and dragged their feet while the cost of living has continued to soar.”

Ms Bradley added, “The latest offer, for a well-below inflation 5%, has now been kicking around for six months and has been rejected by Scotland’s teachers twice. Our members have already taken part in three days of national strike action, and a further 16-days of rolling action across the country.

“The response from the Scottish Government and COSLA has been, essentially, nil – and this now has forced an escalation in our action. The offer of a 9% real-terms pay cut, which is what is on the table, will never be acceptable.”

The escalation of action means that, in addition to 2 days of national strike action already called for 28th February and 1st March, and a 20 further days of rolling strikes across all local authority areas from 13th March until 21st April, there will be targeted action in the constituencies of the First Minister, Deputy First Minster, Cabinet Secretary for Education, and COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann.

Scottish Greens Education Spokesperson Ross Greer’s East Dunbartonshire constituency area will also be targeted.

EIS members in four of these five areas will be called out on three consecutive days from Wednesday, 22nd February – Friday, 24th February inclusive.

All five areas will be targeted for a further three days of action from Tuesday, 7th March. Precise details of the schools involved in this action on the relevant dates will be published shortly.

Further periods of targeted action are likely, if no new pay offer is forthcoming.

Schools: Something’s got to give (1)

Holyrood and Scotland’s councils on collision course

Measures to ensure that teacher and pupil support staff numbers as well as school hours are protected have been announced by Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville.

The Scottish Government has committed to increasing teacher numbers by 3,500 during this Parliament.

Since 2017/18 local authorities have received funding to protect the pupil-teacher ratio, teacher numbers and to provide places for all probationers who need one.

Additional annual funding of £145.5 million is also being provided to maintain increased teacher numbers and support staff. In the year ahead (2023/24), if this is not delivered by a local authority, the Scottish Government will withhold or recoup funding allocated for these purposes.

Regulations will also be introduced under legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2016 to enshrine a statutory minimum number of school hours.

Ms Somerville said: “The measures I have outlined today demonstrate our unyielding commitment to closing the attainment gap and making Scotland the best place in the world to grow up.

“We are committed to recruiting more teachers and support staff, and we have already provided significant additional funding to Local Authorities to help ensure this happens.

“The Scottish Government recognises the challenging budgetary decisions facing councils and that is why the Deputy First Minister has committed to delivering a new deal for local government. However, this Government has a clear commitment to improving education – and maintaining both teacher and support staff numbers and learning hours is crucial to that.

“I recognise the importance of strong partnership working between local government, central government and Education Scotland to achieve our ambitions.

“I will be writing to COSLA today, and each individual council in the coming days, to set out the details on protecting teacher and support staff numbers, and next steps on learning hours.”

COSLA HIGHLIGHTS MASSIVE CONTRADICTION IN RELATION TO EDUCATION AND COUNCIL FUNDING

COSLA yesterday (Tuesday) highlighted to the Scottish Government a massive contradiction in relation to Scottish Education and council funding. This followed an emergency meeting of Council Leaders on Friday and ahead of Ms Somerville’s Parliamentary statement.

At Friday’s meeting Council Leaders reacted with great disappointment to the Scottish Government’s cutting of Local Government’s funding on the one hand whilst at the same time legislating/intervening to prevent headlines showing the unpalatable consequences of those cuts.

Councils are unanimous that attainment is not just about teacher numbers, especially in areas where school rolls are declining, and depends also on a wide range of other council services and support staff.

Accordingly, councils must be left with the flexibility to manage their inadequate budgets to minimise the impact on attainment and the other services the public depend upon. To do more than this will require the Scottish Government to provide additional funding, not more restriction.

Council leaders were clear that Local Government wants to protect education. Councils want to continue to improve the attainment and achievement of children and young people, whilst also retaining the teachers and support staff that are required to do this. It’s the Budget which is putting these things at risk, not Local Government.

COSLA said that the reality is that Scottish Government Budgets over a decade have left us with a funding crisis in Local Government the likes of which have never been seen before.

Commenting yesterday in a joint statement, COSLA’s Presidential Team said: “The timing and approach of the Scottish Government’s latest move undermines the democratic mandate of Local Government and is a U-turn on previously agreed flexibilities for councils over their budgets.

“It is not the case that Local Government wants to cut any of our services; we have to work with the budgets we have and unless there is more funding, we are forced to make democratic decisions on priorities for the communities we serve.

“On the one hand our budgets have been cut in real terms, and on the other hand the Scottish Government is intervening with additional policies which means significant cuts will have to be made in other areas that support children, young people, families and our communities.

“We have been clear about the limited options facing Local Government because of the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2023/24, a view which is shared by the independent body Accounts Commission.

“We have also highlighted the impact of the initial proposed interventions on other Local Government services, including those which directly support the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people.

“These latest asks and the Government’s narrative demonstrates a Government who does not fully value and respect Local Government’s role. Asks of this nature are addressing a symptom, not the cause.”