Scotland | LocalGov

Unison warns of looming strike as it awaits pay offer

22/04/2024

Scotland’s largest local government union has warned that strike preparations could begin next week amid growing tensions over pay.

Scots government 'unlikely' to create equal pay body

19/04/2024

Scottish Government ministers are unlikely to establish a national equal pay unit, despite calls from the trade union that led to strikes over the issue.

Watchdog tells Falkirk to confront 'difficult decisions'

17/04/2024

Falkirk Council faces ‘difficult decisions’ to bridge a budget gap of tens of millions, according to Audit Scotland.

Scottish councils’ debt is one-and-a-half times funding

08/04/2024

The debt of councils in Scotland is more than one-and-a-half times the latest local government funding settlement, the Scottish Conservatives have found.

Proposed law could ease housing emergencies

27/03/2024

Scottish councils may be required to assess the condition of private rented accommodation under a proposed law.

Scottish councils in tax U-turn

25/03/2024

Argyll and Bute and Inverclyde councils had both voted to raise tax in defiance of the Scottish Government's efforts to secure a nationwide freeze.

Watchdog warning over Moray's funding gap

07/03/2024

Moray Council must act quickly to shore up its finances, Audit Scotland has warned.

National care service overhaul fails to charm councils

28/02/2024

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

Scottish Budget 'not good' for communities

28/02/2024

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

Regulator calls for 'substantial' planning intervention

26/02/2024

The planning system requires ‘substantial intervention’ by the Government to ensure consistent delivery of new homes, a major study has concluded.

Council rejects tax freeze offer

23/02/2024

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

Orkney names Scotland's youngest council leader

21/02/2024

Orkney Islands Council has appointed Cllr Heather Woodbridge as Scotland's youngest local authority leader.

Scotland’s public services ‘crumbling’

19/02/2024

Scots have observed worsening poverty and public services are failing to address social problem, according to a new report.

Scottish council chiefs call for £45m uplift guarantee

12/02/2024

Leaders in Scotland have called for a guarantee the £45m Barnett consequentials from a £600m increase to the English finance settlement will be passed on.

Scotland’s homelessness system 'at risk of failure'

02/02/2024

Scotland’s homelessness system is on the brink of collapse, according to the country’s housing watchdog.

Edinburgh first to enforce pavement parking ban

29/01/2024

Edinburgh City Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to enforce a ban on pavement parking.

Council leaders demand right to set tax levels

26/01/2024

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.

Argyll and Bute considers 10% council tax hike

25/01/2024

Argyll and Bute Council are considering a council tax rise of 10% in order to tackle ‘enormous budget challenges’.

Scottish councils face ‘difficult decisions’ on cuts

16/01/2024

‘Intensifying pressures’ on Scottish local authorities mean they must make difficult decisions on service delivery to remain financially sustainable, a watchdog has said.

Scottish budget ‘missed opportunity’ for reform

03/01/2024

The Scottish budget is a ‘missed opportunity’ for delivering on public service reform, local authority leaders in Scotland have told Holyrood.

Council tax freeze to cost £156m

02/01/2024

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.

Scottish councils get £14bn boost

19/12/2023

Local government in Scotland is set to benefit from a £14bn boost but council tax will be frozen despite criticisms of the plan by local authority leaders.

Council tax freeze costs Scottish Government £300m

15/12/2023

Fully funding local authorities for Scotland’s council tax freeze contributes significantly to the £1.5bn shortfall facing Holyrood, experts have warned.

Quarter of Scottish councils fear bankruptcy

13/12/2023

Nearly a quarter of Scottish councils fear they will be unable to balance their budget next year, new research shows.

COSLA ramps up Budget lobbying

04/12/2023

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.

Unison members accept ‘long overdue’ pay offer

27/11/2023

Council chiefs in Scotland have welcomed a decision by Unison members to accept the latest offer in a long running pay dispute.

New offer in pay dispute

03/11/2023

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

School staff strike amid pay dispute

01/11/2023

Schools in parts of Scotland were closed on Wednesday as non-teaching staff went on strike in an ongoing dispute over local government pay.

Glasgow clean air bid gets all clear

31/10/2023

A legal challenge to Glasgow's Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from a local business has failed.

How AI surveys show councils need a new approach on litter

31/10/2023

Gavin Ellis, co-founder and director of Hubbub, discusses how litter survey projects on Glasgow and Cardiff roads suggest that a new approach is needed by local authorities.

‘No agreement’ with Scottish councils to freeze council tax

18/10/2023

The decision to freeze council tax across Scotland was made ‘completely without reference to local government’, according to council bosses.

Unison rejects Scotland’s 10% pay offer

16/10/2023

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

22/09/2023

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.

Rethinking council tax in Scotland

22/09/2023

Alison Payne, research director of Reform Scotland, argues that it is past time for a major rethink of council tax in Scotland.

Calls to scrap council tax hike as consultation closes

20/09/2023

Councils should have complete control over their local tax, thinktank Reform Scotland has said in response to plans to increase council tax across Scotland.

Glasgow to pilot drug consumption facility

15/09/2023

A safe drug consumption facility is set to be trialled in Glasgow after the lord advocate said she did not believe it would be in the public interest to prosecute users of drug consumption rooms for simple possession offences.

Council tax reforms divide sector

07/09/2023

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

Edinburgh removes religious reps’ voting rights

06/09/2023

The City of Edinburgh Council has voted to end voting privileges for unelected religious appointees on its cabinet and education committees.

Quarter of jobs go unfilled at Scottish councils

05/09/2023

Almost a quarter of job vacancies at Scotland’s councils were not filled last year, according to new figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives.

Union issues safety warning as Glasgow ‘slashes’ number of CCTV staff

01/09/2023

Glasgow City Council has halved the number of staff it employs to monitor CCTV cameras in order to cut costs.

Perth & Kinross in global first

31/08/2023

Perth & Kinross Council has become the first place in the world to use spiral-flow battery technology to reduce its carbon footprint.

Councillor charged over child grooming allegations

30/08/2023

A Scottish Labour councillor has been suspended from the party after he was charged over allegations of child grooming.

School staff at 10 Scottish councils to strike

18/08/2023

Local authority employees in schools and early years provisions across Scotland will strike for two days next month, GMB Scotland has announced.

Boycott Bill faces Scottish opposition

16/08/2023

The UK Government’s planned ban on council boycotts is facing opposition from Holyrood.

Thousands of education workers vote to strike in Scotland

07/08/2023

Thousands of workers in education and early years services across 10 local authority areas in Scotland have voted to go on strike.

Holyrood announces £3.2m fund to tackle loneliness

25/07/2023

More than 50 projects that are tackling social isolation and loneliness in Scotland have received a share of a new multi-million-pound fund.

Plans to increase Scottish council tax published

12/07/2023

The Scottish government has published its proposals to increase council tax for those living in the highest value properties.

Scottish council staff will not move to care boards

12/07/2023

Holyrood says that staff will still be employed by councils rather than being transferred to care boards when the National Care Service (NCS) is established.

Scottish councils reach participatory budgets target

12/07/2023

Scottish councils have achieved a target of spending 1% of their budgets through the participatory budgeting process.

COSLA and Holyrood strike 'landmark' deal

03/07/2023

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

Council to meet to discuss independence from UK

03/07/2023

Orkney Islands Council will meet this week to discuss potential independence from the UK as it seeks to improve its financial position amid revenue challenges.

Fly-tipping fines to more than double in Scotland

29/06/2023

Fines for fly-tipping will more than double to £500 as part of ‘bold action’ to reduce waste dumped in Scotland.

Auditors call on Scottish councils to ‘radically change’

17/05/2023

Scotland’s local authorities need to ‘radically change’ how they operate if they are to improve service delivery, auditors say.

Scottish councils ‘uniquely placed’ to assist reform

17/05/2023

Councils are well-placed to deliver the key aims of Scotland’s government – such as tackling child poverty and net zero – but need funding, experts warn.

'Widespread industrial action' warning

10/05/2023

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

Holyrood consults on 20-minute neighbourhoods

28/04/2023

People in Scotland are being asked for their views on how to improve the planning system.

Scottish council leaders and police strengthen collaboration

18/04/2023

Local authority leaders in Scotland have agreed four key priority areas to strengthen collaboration between local government and policing.

COSLA welcomes plans to double tax on empty homes

17/04/2023

Councils in Scotland could soon be able to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on empty and second homes, the Scottish government has announced.

Glasgow gets UKIB help on metro financing

14/04/2023

Glasgow City Council and the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) have agreed a project that seeks to accelerate the development of the Clyde Metro.

Glasgow seeks more powers

28/03/2023

Glasgow is to formally approach Holyrood and Westminster for more powers to help revitalise its city centre.

Progress on homelessness in Scotland at risk, warn housing experts

07/03/2023

Progress on homelessness at risk without continued focus on a scheme to provide accommodation quickly, according to housing experts in Scotland.

Grievance forces Scottish councils to increase pay for chiefs

03/03/2023

Scottish councils have been forced to axe the pay cap on chief executives after a successful grievance was raised.

Councils benefit from Holyrood windfall

22/02/2023

Scottish authorities are to receive an extra £100m funding in a last-minute addition to Holyrood’s Budget.

Teaching unions’ rejection of pay offer ‘disappointing'

16/02/2023

Local government leaders in Scotland have described the teaching unions’ rejection of their latest pay offer as ‘very disappointing’.

Scottish council leaders agree new teacher pay offer

15/02/2023

Council leaders in Scotland have agreed on a new pay offer for teachers which it hopes will end the current industrial action.

Council benefits teams struggling, auditors warn

14/02/2023

People are waiting longer for housing benefit claims while Scotland’s councils face soaring workloads, fewer staff and high absence levels, auditors warn.

Aberdeenshire Council accepts £20m levelling up grant

14/02/2023

Aberdeenshire Council has accepted a £20m grant from the UK Government’s levelling up fund.

‘Alarming’ figures reveal one third of fly-tipping in Glasgow

13/02/2023

Almost one third of recorded fly-tipping incidents in Scotland last year took place in Glasgow, a freedom of information request has revealed.

Holyrood accused of ‘massive contradiction’ over cuts

08/02/2023

Scottish council leaders have accused the Edinburgh government of cutting their funding while at the same time forcing them to provide extra services.

Council brands £500,000 vandalism bill ‘disappointing’

02/02/2023

A repair bill to deal with vandalism at public buildings totalling nearly £500,000 has been branded as ‘disappointing’ by Aberdeen City Council.

Scottish councils call for ‘whole system’ approach to care

31/01/2023

Urgent investment and a ‘whole system’ approach are needed to make progress developing the social care workforce, COSLA has warned.

Scottish councils take legal advice over teacher cuts

30/01/2023

Scottish councils are taking legal advice on the SNP government’s threat to penalise them if they cut teacher numbers.

Holyrood to order councils to stop teacher cuts

26/01/2023

The Scottish government is considering ordering councils to stop cutting teacher numbers after local government body COSLA expressed concerns over funding.

Holyrood urged to empower councils to reach net zero

24/01/2023

Scotland will not reach its net zero targets without first empowering the local government sector, MSPs have warned.

Scottish regeneration projects to receive £27m

19/01/2023

Regeneration projects in disadvantaged and rural communities across Scotland are set to receive a share of almost £27m of funding, Holyrood announces.

Holyrood accused of ‘confusing’ council funding claims

16/01/2023

Local authority leaders in Scotland have accused the Scottish government of ‘confusing’ the public over local government spending and called for ‘clarity’.

Scotland's councils face toughest spending choices in years, says watchdog

12/01/2023

Scottish councils face their most difficult spending choices in years, according to the official watchdog.

Labour outlines huge devolution push

05/12/2022

Labour proposes removing ‘dead hand of centralisation’ by devolving to local government wide-ranging powers over employment, growth, transport and education.

Scottish council chiefs issue SOS call

05/12/2022

Local authority leaders in Scotland today launched a campaign ahead of the Scottish budget calling on Holyrood to Save our Services.

Council celebrates launch of first drone logistics hub

02/12/2022

Planning permission for the UK’s first drone logistics hub at Oban Airport has been granted the local council has announced.

Wage settlement to add to pressure on Scottish councils

02/12/2022

Scottish councils dealing with soaring inflation and pay rises can hope to preserve their road networks but bus services likely to be cut, key figure warns.

Plans floated to tackle secure children's home shortage

21/11/2022

Plans have been floated for a secure children’s home that could be used by councils across London.

Holyrood announces £35m of extra funding

03/11/2022

The Scottish government has announced £35m of funding to help tackle budget pressures caused by rising inflation and economic uncertainty.

Scottish survey reveals strong commitment to local elections

01/11/2022

The vast majority of Scots believe it is important to vote in local council elections, a survey of social attitudes in Scotland has revealed.

Edinburgh Council apologises for colonial past

28/10/2022

Edinburgh Council has apologised on behalf of the city for its past role in sustaining slavery and colonialism.

Scottish council chiefs warn care reforms could cost 75,000 jobs

12/10/2022

Local authority leaders and unions in Scotland today joined forces to oppose plans to centralise the delivery of care, which they argue could cost 75,000 jobs.

Scottish council leaders criticise ‘disruptive’ care plans

27/09/2022

Council leaders in Scotland have criticized the Scottish government’s National Care Service proposals, which they argue will divert funding from social care.

Glasgow and Aberdeen to get new electric buses

22/09/2022

First Bus Scotland is to spend £35m on 74 new electric buses and infrastructure, taking emission free buses in Aberdeen to more than 50% of the city’s fleet.

Record number of Scottish school buildings rated ‘good’

06/09/2022

A record number of school buildings across Scotland are in a good or satisfactory condition, Holyrood has reported.

Victims of child abuse sent to care homes 350 miles away

30/08/2022

Local authorities in England and Wales are being forced to send some of the most vulnerable children to care homes in Scotland, new research has revealed.

Scottish council workers reject 5% pay offer

24/08/2022

Waste service workers will today go on strike across 14 local authority areas in Scotland after Unite the union rejected a 5% pay offer.

Scottish councils legally required to offer free period products

15/08/2022

Scotland today became the first country in the world to protect in law the right to access free period products.

Scottish nurseries face financial ‘uncertainty’

12/08/2022

Nurseries across Scotland have urged councils to make a decision on the hourly rates they will pay to early learning and childcare providers.

Holyrood launches £500,000 scheme to boost zero-carbon bus sector

10/08/2022

The Scottish government has launched a £500,000 scheme aimed at helping local authorities and smaller operators work towards a zero-carbon bus sector.

Scottish council with £14m budget gap warns of cuts

03/08/2022

West Dunbartonshire Council leader Martin Rooney has warned of impending public service cuts due to the local authority’s £14m budget gap.

Recycling projects in Scotland to receive £3.4m boost

29/07/2022

Three Scottish councils are set to receive a boost in their recycling services thanks to a £3.4m investment from Holyrood’s Recycling Improvement Fund.

Council workers in Scotland vote for strike action

27/07/2022

Thousands of Scottish council workers have voted to strike in a dispute over the offered pay rise.

Seven more Scottish councils make Adult Disability Payment available

25/07/2022

The Adult Disability Payment is now available in seven more council areas in Scotland ahead of national roll out on 29 August.

Scottish council to deliver school meals by drone

17/06/2022

Pupils in remote parts of Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland could soon have their school meals delivered by drone.

Affordable homes target reached in Scotland

15/06/2022

The Scottish Government has reached its target of delivering 50,000 affordable homes.

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Banning urban pesticide use

RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below.
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