COSLA
EXCLUSIVE: Councils warned to budget for 4% pay increase
Councils have been warned by local government employers to budget for pay rises of at least 4% this year, The MJ understands.
Council call to invest in staff
Local government leaders have warned the Scottish Government must recognise and invest in council staff to deliver its key priorities for the next three years.
Concerns over refugee data
Concerns have been raised over the sharing of data on refugees arriving from war-torn Ukraine.
Call to devolve Afghan refugee responsibilities
Councils have called for the devolution of more responsibilities for Afghan refugees.
Scots councils angry after Sturgeon snub
Scottish councils have reacted angrily after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon refused to meet them over the recent funding settlement.
Scottish settlement ‘worst seen’ by leaders
Council leaders in Scotland are demanding a meeting with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over funding for next year.
Scottish ministers defend Budget impact on councils
Scottish Government ministers have defended the impact of country’s Budget on councils amid warnings town halls face soaring costs.
Scottish councils need extra £1bn to 'survive'
Councils in Scotland need more than an extra £1bn a year just to survive, a new briefing has warned.
LGA chair: Councils should have the freedom to set rates
Councils should be put on the right financial footing to enable them to set council tax rates however they choose, says the chairman of the Local Government Association, James Jamieson.
Scotland has made progress in ending homelessness, says new report
Better emergency accommodation and extending the temporary ban on eviction orders enforcement have helped Scotland make progress in ending homelessness, says a new report.
Pressure grows on government over funds announcement
Scotland’s council leaders have called for the UK Government to announce the outcome of applications to the community renewal and levelling up funds without delay.
Councils call for 'honesty' on National Care Service costs
COSLA has said the funding should instead be invested in care services currently provided by councils.
Scottish councils blindsided over social care reforms
Scottish Government proposals around children’s services, community justice and alcohol and drug treatment were smuggled into a consultation ‘at the very last minute,’ a council body has complained.
Scottish union to hold nationwide strike ballot
Councils in Scotland have been put on notice as Unison ballots members over industrial action.
Highland alarm at care proposals
The council is to ask for an extension to the Scottish Government’s consultation on its planned National Care Service.
Call for fair funding for Scottish councils
Councils should not have their ‘hands tied’ by funding constraints, the Scottish Government has been told.
Unison urges members to vote for strike
Scotland’s biggest public service trade union has advised council workers to vote for industrial action in a ballot over pay.
Unions reject Scots pay offer
Trade unions in Scotland have formally rejected employers’ pay offer of an £800 lower-rate pay rise for 2021, dismissing the sum as an unacceptably poor response to staff efforts during COVID-19.
Scottish pandemic recovery prospects ‘severely eroded’
The prospects for post-pandemic recovery in Scotland have been 'severely eroded' by funding constraints, councils have said
New review puts case for a National Care Service in Scotland
An independent review of adult care services in Scotland has called for urgent improvements in workforce planning, pay and conditions, and a rethink on charging policies.
