Council job cuts are ‘inevitable’
Local authorities at crisis point as they issue call to ‘save our services’
JOB losses in councils are “inevitable” and services will be cut unless extra cash can be found to meet a £1billion shortfall, local authority leaders have warned.
Cosla, which represents Scotland’s councils, fears without additional cash from the Scottish Government, authorities will be “struggling to deliver even the basic, essential services that communities rely on”.
Its president Shona Morrison warned current Government spending plans could see council services “either significantly reduced, cut, or stopped altogether”.
She was speaking as the organisation, which represents Scotland’s 32 local authorities, issued an “SOS call” to “save our services”.
The £1billion shortfall council leaders say they are facing is equivalent to local authorities’ entire budget for early learning and childcare, or total net revenue spending on roads, transport, sport and culture combined.
It would also pay for about 17,500 teachers – around 30 per cent of the current total – Cosla said. With 70 per cent of council cash used on staffing, Morrison said it is “inevitable current spending plans will lead to job losses”.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney will reveal how much funding councils will get in 2023-24 in the Scottish budget on December 15.
But Cosla leaders said the Government has already laid out plans for “flat cash” funding, meaning money for councils will not rise in line with soaring inflation.
Morrison said: “The Scottish Government’s spending plans will see council services either significantly reduced, cut, or stopped altogether.” This,
councils will struggle to deliver basic essential services
STEVEN HEDDLE ON COUNCIL FUNDS WORRY
combined with the prospect of job losses, means the “critical work council staff do on prevention and early intervention will reduce significantly”, she added.
Finance directors from all 32 Scottish local authorities have written an “unprecedented” letter to Swinney to highlight their “immediate concerns”.
Cosla vice-president Steven Heddle said: “Make no mistake, what we will now face is councils struggling to deliver even the basic, essential services that communities rely on.”
The group’s resources spokeswoman Katie Hagmann said councils “are at a crisis point like never before”.
Swinney said: “The Scottish Government settlements from the UK Government have suffered a decade of austerity with average real terms cuts of over five per cent equating to a loss of £18billion.
“Despite this, local authority revenue funding is £2.2billion or 22.9 per cent higher in cash terms in the current financial year than it was in 2013-14.
“Future spending decisions will be outlined as part of the 2023-24 Scottish budget on December 15.”