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. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.