COSLA

  • National care service overhaul fails to charm councils

    28 February 2024

    Councils in Scotland remain unconvinced by proposals to create a national care service.


  • Scottish Budget 'not good' for communities

    28 February 2024

    Next year’s Scottish Budget is ‘not good’ for communities, council leaders have said.


  • Council rejects tax freeze offer

    23 February 2024

    Argyll and Bute Council has become the first to reject the Scottish Government’s council tax freeze.


  • Scottish council leaders call for £45m boost

    12 February 2024

    Scottish council leaders have called for the £45m Barnett consequentials from a £600m boost to the English finance settlement to be passed to them.


  • Council leaders demand right to set tax levels

    26 January 2024

    Local authority leaders in Scotland have renewed their fight to set their own council taxes – despite the pledge of a freeze by first minister Humza Yousaf.


  • Council tax freeze to cost £156m

    02 January 2024

    Scottish councils face a real terms cut of up to £156m next year as a result of the council tax freeze, new research has found.


  • COSLA ramps up Budget lobbying

    04 December 2023

    Well-funded councils are the key to unlocking the potential within Scotland’s communities, town hall leaders have claimed ahead of the country’s budget later this month.


  • New offer in pay dispute

    03 November 2023

    More money has been offered in the hope of averting strike action by Scottish Unison members.


  • Lessons still to learn

    30 October 2023

    It looks like Scotland’s Verity House agreement has fallen at the first hurdle, but in England we should not consign it to the dustbin of failed experiments, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West.


  • ‘Anger’ over Scottish council tax freeze

    18 October 2023

    Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf’s announcement of a blanket freeze on council tax next year has provoked an angry reaction from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).


  • Unison rejects Scotland’s 10% pay offer

    16 October 2023

    Unison members in Scotland today rejected local government employers’ latest pay deal, which would have seen the lowest-paid staff receive a 10% wage boost.


  • Unite suspends strike

    22 September 2023

    The trade union Unite has suspended a planned three-day strike across education and local government in Scotland after receiving a ‘serious’ pay offer from employers.


  • Unions reject latest COSLA offer

    14 September 2023

    The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has warned trade unions face a choice between ‘real cuts to jobs and services’ and increased pay.


  • Council tax reforms divide sector

    04 September 2023

    Scottish local authorities have been left deeply divided by proposals to hike council tax on higher bands.


  • COSLA and Holyrood strike 'landmark' deal

    03 July 2023

    A pledge for greater fiscal control for councils has been made in a ‘landmark agreement’ between national and local government in Scotland.


  • Unite in summer strike warning

    01 June 2023

    Trade union Unite has warned summer strike action will hit key events after talks with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) collapsed.


  • Care homes 'at risk of closure'

    25 May 2023

    Care homes in Scotland have warned they are at risk of closure as they rejected a 6% fee increase from councils.


  • Savings 'no longer enough,' councils told

    17 May 2023

    The Accounts Commission’s latest report outlined ‘reducing budgets, growing demographic and workforce pressures, and declining performance across some services’.


  • 'Widespread industrial action' warning

    10 May 2023

    Trade union Unite has warned the Scottish Government and employers there ‘could be widespread industrial action’ without a ‘significant increase’ to the current pay offer.


  • COSLA 'disappointment' as pay offer rejected

    28 April 2023

    Trade unions have voted to reject a pay offer put forward by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).