Scottish councils are taking legal advice on the SNP government’s threat to penalise them if they cut teacher numbers.
They have warned that intervention on how to spend their funding could mean cutting pupil support staff, libraries, youth work and other services, and accuse the Holyrood government of attacking local councillors’ democratic mandate.
Glasgow City Council has drawn up plans to cut 800 teaching positions in a bid to deal with a £68m funding gap, while Edinburgh has said all options are being looked at and Midlothian has published proposals to lose 174 teachers.
In their 2021 election manifesto, the SNP promised to increase teacher numbers by at least 3,500 before the end of the parliamentary session.
In a statement issued following a meeting of Scotland’s 32 council leaders last week Cosla expressed its ‘extreme disappointment.’
Katie Hagmann, Cosla's spokesperson on resources, and Tony Buchanan, the spokesperson on children and young people – both SNP councillors – said:
‘This is an unnecessary and unwanted attack and intervention on our democratic mandate as elected politicians in our own right.
‘We are seeing potentially unworkable proposals foisted on us without any prior discussion or consultation with local government – proposals we will be seeking legal advice on.’
