North Ayrshire Council warned of £46.7million funding gap
The report revealed that the council's latest Medium Term Financial Outlook has identified a structural funding gap of £46.7m in the three-year period to 2027-28 (including HSCP pressures).
Projected savings from transformation fall significantly short of the savings required. Officers are clear that future recurring savings also need to be made through workforce changes, cuts in services, and council tax and fees and charges increases.
Officers have indicated that future recurring savings also need to be made through workforce changes, cuts in services, and council tax and fees and charges increases.
However, Audit Scotland claim the transformation programme needs to be sufficiently ambitious to respond to the scale of the financial challenges.
The Accounts Commission's Local government in Scotland Financial bulletin 2023-24 noted that councils need to intensify transformation activity, progressing at scale and pace to ensure their financial sustainability.
The council's current transformation programme, known as its Sustainable Change Programme, was approved in 2023 and clearly sets out how it intends to transform its services, in line with its priorities, through five workstreams and six service reviews.
Between 2021-22 and 2024-25 the council achieved financial efficiencies from its Sustainable Change Programme of £3.136m.
They plan to make further efficiencies of £8.5m over the next three years.
There was scope for the council to consider opportunities for more radical transformational change with partners.
Mark Boyd, Head of Service (Finance), told the committee that in terms of transformation there is a lot of work going on and the solar farms would generate revenue.
They were progressing with a number of services reviews like waste services, learning resource reviews and digital workstreams.
There was also more momentum about how the 32 councils could better work together.
In areas like blue badges, he said they could maybe have one solution across the authorities. Thirty-two councils were all doing similar tasks and they had to look to harness that activity and target efficiency from it.
Budget preparations were beginning next week with the executive leadership, the finance boss revealed.
There were also ongoing discussions with other Ayrshire councils around wider reform and opportunities to share services and that would continue although there had to be the will to progress that through three separate entities that had to be done at officer level and leadership level.
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Gilruth admits the SNP 'should have delivered by now'
Broken promises The first questions asked were unsurprisingly about that workload issue, and the suggestion that the government has 'failed' to honour a manifesto commitment about contact time received applause in the room. For context, the government promised to cut contact time by 90 minutes per week and, thus far, has not delivered. Gilruth was challenged not just on cutting contact time, but on ensuring that teachers decide how to use the extra time. This has been a bone of contention because at least some councils want to take control of at least some of the newly-created non-contact time. The Cabinet Secretary admitted that 'it's tough in our schools just now', adding: 'I know it's really tough.' Of the cut to contact time, she also said: 'I accept we should have delivered by now'. That admission provoked applause in the room. Gilruth argued that cutting contact time would be the key change that would help the teaching profession, and referenced research saying that restoring teacher numbers to 2023 levels would allow for the promise to be met in primary schools. She did not mention secondary schools, and for good reason – cutting contact time there is enormously difficult and there is little prospect of meaningful progress being made any time soon. Again, she accepted, albeit tacitly, a degree of failure from the government, admitting: 'It's not going as quickly as it should have.' She also explained that a proposal to COSLA had been rejected because more work was required, some of which is now ongoing, but insisted: 'We have got to get this over the line.' At this point audible mutters began to spread, and from the back of the room I saw heads starting to shake as Gilruth argued that she has 'upheld her part of the bargain' by securing more money for councils. There was no open revolt in response, but the room didn't seem particularly convinced. A crisis in ASN Questions then moved on to ASN and the lack of support available in schools, with Gilruth asked how she would ensure adequate resourcing in this area. This is a huge issue for teachers, who are struggling to cope with a massive increase in the level of support that they have to provide despite a lack of funding to do so. Gilruth proposed that there is 'still support for the presumption of mainstreaming, but it's about how it is resourced' – a statement that certainly provoked some dissent in the room. She also talked about definitions of ASN having expanded significantly over the years, which is true, but didn't go so far as to suggest that this is a problem. But she did say that we need to 'think again about how to resource ASN in our schools.' She referenced a recent Audit Scotland report that called for wholesale changes to ASN provision, and said that she is 'protecting the budget' but is concerned that the money isn't always getting to schools. The hall then got to see a member of the Scottish Government talking about the importance of 'transparency', and was reminded that we 'don't exist in a silo' in reference to decisions by the UK government. However, the most interesting part of her response involved Pupil Equity Funding, the more than £100m a year that is sometimes known as 'anti-poverty funding'. This money was always supposed to be additional to core budgets, and used to fund extra services that would 'close the attainment gap', but critics have for years warns that it was in fact being used to plug financial holes that were caused by years and years of cuts. Remarkably, Jenny Gilruth admitted that this additional funding is 'not additional any more.' She went in to reference a forthcoming UK government spending review, and argued that issues of funding for Scottish education 'don't exist in a silo.' But the shout from the floor was: 'Not good enough.' The education secretary was challenged on a number of issues including workload, ASN and violence. (Image: Alan Richardson Violence in schools Another of the pressing issues in Scottish education right now concerns violence and aggression in schools, and it was no surprise that teachers wanted to raise it. The education secretary was asked why teachers have to put up with this sort of behaviour. She was told that if she were assaulted at work then the police would be called, but that in schools there seems to be a level of violence that teachers just need to put up with. She was then asked if it will take a teacher being murdered in their classroom before the government takes 'real action'. In response, she said that violence is a major issue and unacceptable, but was immediately heckled with a shout that 'nothing is being done.' At this point Ms Gilruth became, at best, defensive, and snapped back: 'I'm here listening to you as your Cabinet Secretary.' From there she argued that similar issues are affecting female politicians, and that the issue of increasing violence, as well as misogyny, are wider social problems. 'It's not all about schools,' she said. 'We need a societal response to some of these challenges.' She also referenced her government's Behaviour Action Plan, said that further guidance on 'consequences' would be released soon, and told delegates that exclusion had to remain an option for teachers. But her answers didn't generate any applause in the room.. Music, colleges, and universities On the topic of instrumental music teachers, Ms Gilruth was asked if she would commit to delivering full professional registration for these staff before the next election. She did give an 'absolute commitment', but it was only to engage with the GTCS and 'move this forward' ahead of the election. The penultimate questions of the session concerned tertiary education, referencing real terms cuts to college funding and the ongoing crisis in the 'underfunded and badly managed' university sector. In response, as expected, she praised the work that colleges do and said that they 'must be supported', adding that her government has provided flexibility to the sector and met demands to fund pay awards. She did accept, however, that recent years have been a 'really challenging time' for colleges. On university funding, she defended the Scottish Government's position on free tuition while pointing out that the wider UK sector is currently facing significant challenges. Some of these, she argued, originate with the UK government, with NI increases and immigration rules both cited. She explained that that while she is willing to have a conversation about how universities are financed, that this would remain a red line that they would not cross. Trans rights The final question to the education secretary focused on trans rights, which reflected the concerns of a number of speakers from earlier in the day. In light of the recent supreme court decision, a delegate asked Ms Gilruth what actions she has taken to ensure that transgender and non-binary students are not 'adversely affected'. At this point there was another shift in tone. 'This is a really challenging time for trans staff and pupils,' she said, 'and I want you to hear that from me as a member of our LGBT community.' She then explained that although the government wants to provide reassurance, the Equality Act is reserved and updated EHCR guidance would be for ministers in London, not Edinburgh, to deal with. However, she added that she had raised the issue with her UK Government counterpart, and that she wants people to get in touch with concerns. Summing up Given the chance to make closing remarks, Gilruth (wisely) avoided the sort of speech that many politicians would have been unable to resist – the kind that lists all sorts of supposed achievements in a way that only further alienates them from their audience. Instead, she once again accepted that things are 'tough' in schools, and said: 'If you would like me to come into your school and visit, I will come.' She also offered a 'thank you from the government for all the work you're doing in our schools', and told the room that she was there 'in listening mode' for the rest of the evening. The applause that closed the session would be best-described as polite. But the same can't be said of many of the comments I heard afterwards.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
North Ayrshire Council warned of £46.7million funding gap
The report revealed that the council's latest Medium Term Financial Outlook has identified a structural funding gap of £46.7m in the three-year period to 2027-28 (including HSCP pressures). Projected savings from transformation fall significantly short of the savings required. Officers are clear that future recurring savings also need to be made through workforce changes, cuts in services, and council tax and fees and charges increases. Officers have indicated that future recurring savings also need to be made through workforce changes, cuts in services, and council tax and fees and charges increases. However, Audit Scotland claim the transformation programme needs to be sufficiently ambitious to respond to the scale of the financial challenges. The Accounts Commission's Local government in Scotland Financial bulletin 2023-24 noted that councils need to intensify transformation activity, progressing at scale and pace to ensure their financial sustainability. The council's current transformation programme, known as its Sustainable Change Programme, was approved in 2023 and clearly sets out how it intends to transform its services, in line with its priorities, through five workstreams and six service reviews. Between 2021-22 and 2024-25 the council achieved financial efficiencies from its Sustainable Change Programme of £3.136m. They plan to make further efficiencies of £8.5m over the next three years. There was scope for the council to consider opportunities for more radical transformational change with partners. Mark Boyd, Head of Service (Finance), told the committee that in terms of transformation there is a lot of work going on and the solar farms would generate revenue. They were progressing with a number of services reviews like waste services, learning resource reviews and digital workstreams. There was also more momentum about how the 32 councils could better work together. In areas like blue badges, he said they could maybe have one solution across the authorities. Thirty-two councils were all doing similar tasks and they had to look to harness that activity and target efficiency from it. Budget preparations were beginning next week with the executive leadership, the finance boss revealed. There were also ongoing discussions with other Ayrshire councils around wider reform and opportunities to share services and that would continue although there had to be the will to progress that through three separate entities that had to be done at officer level and leadership level.
The Herald Scotland
24-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Look after Scotland first with new winter fuel payment
Discussion so far appears to revolve around a form of 'means testing'. That is one approach. However, it is my view that UK governments, of whatever political hue, cannot bring themselves to look at the needs of the population. Is it cooler in Shetland 12 months per year compared to the South of England? Do homes located in the Highlands require more heat and light during the winter months? I would recommend setting a base level around the Liverpool area and applying a graduated reduced heating allowance to the regions to the south of that line and a graduated increase to the north. It is surely not beyond the wit of the Exchequer to make use of postcode data and differentiate the parameters to be used to determine a 'levelling up' approach to an individual's needs. Governments appear to be able to determine taxation levels and varying service charges for gas and electricity on a geographical basis. I would term this approach as logical. But would it be viewed as an acceptable political approach? I doubt it in London but I would urge all Scottish MPs to get behind my motion and look after the Scottish population. Stewart Lightbody, Troon. Disordered evidence Neil Mackay's article on the increasingly intemperate language used in what he terms "disordered discourse" ("Clarkson shows he knows diddly squat about Scotland", The Herald, May 22) was apposite at a time when there is repeated evidence of this in any discussion of Scottish politics, whether it be in The Herald or elsewhere. The Letters Pages are a prime example of this with derogatory references to SNP supporters as "sheep-like supporters" who "parrot the same lines". But the SNP that won 56 seats in the 2015 General Election only won nine last year. So by definition their support can hardly be described as "sheep-like". In reality such remarks are not discourse but simply mendacity for mendacity's sake. A further example is the £650 million shortfall faced by local councils as highlighted by the Accounts Commission. The Commission blames this on "soaring inflation" plus "increased costs and demands". These are all outwith the ability of the Scottish Government to control. Yet there is a predictable knee-jerk response from opposition politicians with Labour's spokesperson saying this is a direct consequence of 'SNP incompetence and cuts'. This is despite the Accounts Commission itself saying that 'not all cost increases faced by councils can be met by government funding' and that £350 million of additional costs faced by councils can be attributed to the National Insurance increases implemented by the current Labour Government at Westminster. Read more letters The presentation of facts doesn't deter those with a malign view of their opponents from constantly framing events through the prism of their own bias. For example, the failure to build two ferries on time is once again blamed on "SNP incompetence". But Scottish Government ministers had no oversight role in the actual build process. They are not a party to the contract and as such cannot direct or influence events on the ground. Nevertheless that does not stop them from being blamed for the mistakes made by those who had that responsibility. Predictably rival parties maintain that if they were in power none of this would have happened. And of course no evidence to validate this assertion is ever offered up. The civil servants, workers and management responsible for the ferries debacle – either in whole or in part – will invariably remain in place along with the usual bland assurances that "lessons will be learnt". But they never are. For instance we now learn that the same mistakes made on the Glen Sannox were made on the Glen Rosa without anybody apparently noticing. This is despite repeated reassurances given to ministers and to various Holyrood committees by Ferguson's management that the monitoring of procedures had been tightened up. It is therefore not so much a case of disordered discourse but more one of disordered evidence. Robert Menzies, Falkirk. CalMac users satisfied In response to Peter Wright (Letters, May 23): there is nothing 'whitabootery' about citing UK cost over-runs when my taxes (and those of everyone else in Scotland) are used to pay for them. Anyone can check on the status of Isle of Wight ferries and they will find BBC and local/national newspaper reports on frequent cancellations, 'more misery', 'held to ransom [a £440 return ticket]', a 'scandalous' ferry system – often due to maintenance failures and breakdown (sound familiar?). New Tory MP Joe Robertson (after 14 years of Tory rule), asked the Labour Government to 'protect Isle of Wight passengers from excessive ferry prices... bad and unreliable service for a vital transport link from unregulated ferry companies'. Sir Keir Starmer concurred at PMQs with this MP, that islanders were reliant on foreign-owned, debt-laden, unregulated ferry companies for essential travel. As for consulting local residents of the Hebridean islands, luckily I do not have to. A six-month survey of 15,000 ferry users (published January 2025) found an average satisfaction rate of 84%, two per cent up on the previous summer. If you don't like or trust this, you can ask CalMac for details of who carried out the survey. Being properly regulated, it cannot refuse to answer. It would be nice in Scotland if ferries, knife crime, education, policing numbers, NHS waiting lists et al could all be reported in our media normally, without hyperbole, and in context. GR Weir, Ochiltree. Is castration a viable course? How should we view Labour Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood's consideration of chemical castration for sex offenders ("Chemical castration of sex offenders to be piloted in 20 prisons, says Mahmood", heraldscotland, May 22)? It follows a review led by a former justice secretary, David Gauke, which the Scottish Government is reported to be considering. Throughout society there seems to have been an explosion of abhorrent offences involving grooming gangs, sexual abuse of children and a rise in rape statistics. Steps both short-term and long-term will have to be taken to stem the flood of such obnoxious crimes. Long-term projects in this direction will take years to come to fruition while short-term measures could have a sharp-shock deterrent effect upon those who wish to indulge their unsavoury sexual appetites upon unwilling victims. Castration, chemical or surgical, could put the frighteners on those who harbour insalubrious designs upon their targets. However, the introduction of castration for sex offenders could mean that a reintroduction of the death penalty might have to be considered, if those who cannot or are unwilling to control their unhealthy sexual impulses resort to the murder of their victims to avoid the unpleasantness of lifelong castration and so hope to escape detection.. What penalty would await those women who are complicit in helping those who indulge their sexual fantasies with unwilling victims or themselves participate actively in such sexual abuse? Then there are women who lure underage youngsters into having sex with them, both male and female. They merit a condign penalty for ruining young lives. In this age of equality of the sexes, what punishment would Shabana Mahmood propose for those offenders? This is a can of worms which deserves to be explored and investigated. Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs. UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed a trial of chemical castration of sex offenders (Image: PA) Trump right to cut PBS funding AJ Clarence (Letters, May 22) appears to be suffering from what our friends across the pond currently describe as "Trump Derangement Syndrome" – in that, whatever happens, or indeed is claimed by social media to have happened, it is his fault. In a similar fashion, more locally, the equally deranged SNP blames Westminster for anything negative. Your correspondent is upset that Donald Trump has "defunded Sesame Street". In fact what has happened is that Warner Bros – which provided much of the programme's funding – was not renewing its deal with PBS and has now stopped its support. In addition, quite rightly, Mr Trump has reduced the state funding provided to PBS on the grounds that while it is meant to be apolitical, it clearly is not. In a similar way, many here firmly believe that the BBC should be defunded due to its endless left-leaning bias in all matters political – hence the increasing numbers refusing to pay their TV licences. Why should taxpayers fund media outlets to produce what is effectively political propaganda? Regarding AJ Clarence's criticism of Mr Trump on Israel: the President has enabled ceasefire negotiations and talks between Israel and the Hamas terrorists, while his predecessor Joe Biden sat on Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet. Derangement syndrome fully engaged. Steph Johnson, Glasgow. Does Hamas want peace? Your Letters Pages today (May 23) make interesting reading with regards to the situation in Gaza. Little or nothing is made of the impact of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas but a lot is made of the consequences for Gaza. I have criticised the Labour Government for not thinking ahead but it looks suspiciously like Hamas did and the current situation is exactly what it wants. Peace can never be achieved by starting hostilities with an utterly atrocious massacre. Does Hamas really want peace? Highly unlikely, so you have to ask the question about what is the end game and it must be a Hamas victory which equates to the destruction of the state of Israel. Shockingly perhaps Benjamin Netanyahu is right when he this week equated "Free Palestine" with "Heil Hitler" for neo-Nazis. Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow. Green cloud cuckoo land The SNP's Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin has said that people living in cities should consider getting rid of their cars to help tackle climate change. Ms Martin also supports the expansion of heat pumps. She can afford an expensive EV since she gets a salary of £116,125 from the Scottish taxpayer. She might not know that heat pumps are at least four times more expensive than gas boilers and are less efficient and that Scotland only has 0.1 per cent of global emissions. She and too many other politicians live in a green cloud cuckoo land where they chant "Where Scotland leads others will follow". They should all be put back into their green boxes and the lids closed. Clark Cross, Linlithgow. Sum amusement Willie Towers' letter (May 21) reminded me of a maths teacher of mine who would chalk a lengthy maths solution on the board then say: "Right, look at the board while I run through it." We never did have the pleasure of seeing him achieve this feat. More recently, though still some time ago, a teaching colleague in the maths department would similarly elaborate a maths problem on the board then ask the class "Are you with me?" to be met with a chorus of "No, we're with the Woolwich!". Readers of a certain age will remember the TV advert. Bob Byiers, Bearsden.
