Call for council staff to get £500 payment

Councillors in Aberdeen will demand a £500 payment given to health workers is extended to local authority workers.

Money was made available to health and social care staff in recognition of their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Aberdeen City Council has repeatedly called for the money to also be given to those working in the public sector.

At a meeting of the authority’s staff governance committee yesterday, members voted 6-3 to write to finance minister Kate Forbes and local government minister Kevin Stewart calling for them to pay out to council staff.

SNP councillors were the only group to vote against the motion.

Vice-convener Ryan Houghton said: “We value the work of our staff throughout the pandemic, the SNP’s decision to award a payment to a partial number of workers is political and regrettable.

“All political groups and trade union representatives at the committee supported the extension of the payment and it’s not surprising the SNP in Aberdeen refused to vote against the wishes of their bosses in Edinburgh.”

David Cameron, the SNP group’s staff governance spokesman, said: “If the administration wanted to reward our hardworking staff they had the opportunity to do so at the budget meeting last month – they chose not to.

“Our staff are our council’s responsibility and it’s for the council to recognise their efforts. I’m pleased to hear the Tories’ newfound enthusiasm for recognising workers and perhaps they’ll now lobby their Westminster bosses to exempt the payments to workers from tax and welfare assessments.”