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The Herald Scotland
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Why UK and Scottish Governments must 'step up' on devolution
Her response comes after Scottish Secretary Ian Murray urged her to work with Westminster to reverse First Minister John Swinney's policies of 'centralisation'. In a long-running devolution row, the SNP councillor said she was 'disappointed' by the letter, accusing the Scottish Secretary of suggesting the 'UK Government has no role in delivering deals for Scottish cities'. 'This is a misguided regression from what, up until now, had been a shared commitment to successful tripartite collaboration between two governments and the collective democratic leadership of the City Region,' Ms Aitken said. However, she said: 'Glasgow – and Edinburgh, for that matter – needs both of our governments to step up on devolution.' Read more: The back and forth comes after Ms Aitken raised concerns that Scotland's largest city had been sidelined by the Chancellor's spending review in June. The Treasury confirmed a £160 million Investment Zone in the Glasgow Region and £20m for Trailblazer Communities, but Ms Aitken argued it fell short of the funding offered to English counterparts. Ms Aitken said Rachel Reeves took a "retrograde" step for devolution by expanding a scheme that allowed city regions in England to bypass applying for individual grants through competitive bidding processes. The designated areas instead will receive long-term funding to make their own investment decisions. Glasgow, meanwhile, must bid for funding alongside other parts of the UK. Mr Murray had argued that devolution in Scotland was entirely "a matter for the Scottish Government". However, he said the UK Government wanted to work together to "unlock the same levels of growth as your English counterparts in Greater Manchester" and offered to draft a joint letter to Mr Swinney. The Glasgow City Council leader said she was 'happy' to take up the Scottish Secretary's offer to write jointly to the First Minister. However, she said any letter must also be addressed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Chancellor, Ms Reeves. Read more: Writing for The Herald, Ms Aitken said: 'The vast majority of the powers to be devolved are, indeed, in the gift of the Scottish Government – and I've made no secret of my view that they need to put more pace behind commitments to empower Scotland's city regions. 'However, the devolution of powers without funding would still leave city regions in all of our devolved nations without the economic tools available to our English counterparts.' Ms Aitken said that equivalent funding outlined for English regions has not resulted in any additional cash for Scotland, adding: 'Therefore, it is clear that the resourcing of any devolution deal remains the responsibility of the UK Government.' In his letter to the council leader, Mr Murray said: 'We are always open to constructive discussions with the Scottish Government to reverse its centralisation policy and devolve powers to our cities and regions.' The announcement from last month's spending review means that almost 40% of England's population will now have local control over the integrated settlement funding. London, the North East, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Liverpool City region were added to the scheme, joining the original arrangements in Greater Manchester and West Midlands. In her response to Mr Murray, Ms Aitken said that leaders of the UK Core Cities have combined to urge the UK Government to provide 'parity' in funding for Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh. 'They agree that we are being disadvantaged and that the recent UK Spending Review was a missed opportunity to begin to address that inequity,' she said. The Scottish Government previously told The Herald it was looking at ways to devolve further powers to cities including Glasgow. But Secretary Shona Robison said the spending review 'short-changed' Scotland. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Councils play a crucial role in our communities which is why we jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to ensure communities have greater control and influence over decisions that affect them most. 'We are also committed to working with local authorities to deliver greater regional empowerment on decision making and investment and are working with partners to explore ways of devolving further powers to Regional Economic Partnerships, including Glasgow City Region. 'The Scottish Government has delivered a wide range of fiscal powers for local councils including greater powers within planning, parking charges, workplace parking and in Council Tax, being able to charge up to 100% on second and long term empty homes. In addition, the two-year local government pay offer, accepted by trade unions last week, will see all workers getting the pay they deserve over the summer.' A UK Government spokesperson said: "The UK government has delivered record funding for the Scottish government with an additional £9.1 billion in Barnett consequentials over the next four years, this includes an additional £380m as a result of plans for housing, communities and local government in England. "On top of this the UK Government is also investing £1.7 billion in local projects across Scotland. We are pleased Councillor Aitken recognises that the powers that need to be devolved to city regions sit with Holyrood, and the Secretary of State for Scotland is looking forward to working with her to reverse an agenda of centralisation of both power and funding which has unfortunately been a hallmark of recent Scottish Government policy."
The Herald Scotland
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow leader urged to help UK Government in devolution row
It comes as Ms Aitken raised concerns Scotland's largest city had been sidelined by the Chancellor's spending review last month. The Treasury confirmed a £160 million Investment Zone in the Glasgow Region and £20 million for Trailblazer Communities, however the city council leader warned it fell well short of the funding handed to English regions. Mr Murray acknowledged the concerns but said June's spending review issued £52 billion for Scotland, which was 'more money than ever before' to enable the Scottish Government to invest in public services. However, Finance Secretary Shona Robison argued the country had been 'short-changed' by the funding announcements. Mr Murray's letter, seen exclusively by The Herald, said: 'Devolution within Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government – as are many of the relevant policy areas such as housing, skills and transport – but we would be delighted to work with them to help ensure the Glasgow City Region has the tools you need to deliver change and unlock the same levels of growth as your English counterparts in Greater Manchester. Read more: 'We are always open to constructive discussions with the Scottish Government to reverse its centralisation policy and devolve powers to our cities and regions. 'I would welcome a joint letter between ourselves to the First Minister to kick start this conversation.' The Scottish Secretary offered his team to draft a letter to the First Minister if Ms Aitken agreed. But last month, Ms Aitken accused the Chancellor of of taking a 'retrograde step' for devolution in Scotland that risked 'disempowering' Glasgow. Her concern related to detailed commitments outlined in the spending review which expanded integrated settlements for English city regions. It meant city regions in England would not have to apply for individual grants through competitive bidding processes. Instead, the designated cities are set to receive long-term funding that allows Mayors greater autonomy in making their own investment decisions. Read more: Following the spending review, these settlements are being expanded to include London, the North East, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Liverpool City Region. Almost 40% of England's population will now have local control over this funding, with these regions joining existing arrangements in Greater Manchester and West Midlands. Glasgow, meanwhile, was the only Scottish region selected to be part of the National Wealth Fund which will help local leaders develop investment and growth priorities. However, the city also has to bid for funding for Westminster alongside other parts of the UK. In a letter seen by The Herald last month, Ms Aitken criticised the spending review. She said: "It is clear from the Spending Review that the UK Government recognises the best way to support economic growth of English City Regions is through an integrated settlement, allowing places the ability to make their own investment decisions. 'And yet Glasgow City Region, which is larger in population, size of economy, opportunity and need than most of the Mayoral Combined Authorities, is reduced to simply administering programmes on behalf of UK Government as if it were a small local authority.' She added: 'The empowerment of our comparator city regions in England and the disempowerment of Glasgow City Region threatens all of the progress we have made. We have a shared priority of growing Scotland's economy and ensuring our people reap the benefits of that. 'We cannot grow Scotland's economy without growing Glasgow's economy — and yet yesterday's budget will not contribute to that growth and will cause us to fall behind our English counterparts.' Finance and Local Government Secretary Shona Robison said: 'The UK Spending Review document sets out in black and white that our funding for day-to-day spending is set to grow by only 0.8% over the next three years, compared with 1.2% average growth for UK Government departments. This will short-change us by £1.1 billion pounds which could make a real difference to our communities and councils, so the Secretary of State should and could be urging the Chancellor to reverse that if he wants to help Scotland. 'Councils play a crucial role in our communities which is why we jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to ensure communities have greater control and influence over decisions that affect them most. 'We are also committed to working with local authorities to deliver greater regional empowerment on decision making and investment and are working with partners to explore ways of devolving further powers to Regional Economic Partnerships, including Glasgow City Region. 'In addition, the Scottish Government has delivered a wide range of fiscal powers for local councils including greater powers within planning, parking charges, workplace parking and in Council Tax, being able to charge up to 100% on second and long term empty homes.' Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: 'The UK Spending Review document sets out in black and white that our funding for day-to-day spending is set to grow by only 0.8% over the next three years, compared with 1.2% average growth for UK Government departments. This will short-change us by £1.1 billion pounds which could make a real difference to our communities and councils, so the secretary of State should and could be urging the Chancellor to reverse that if he wants to help Scotland. 'Councils play a crucial role in our communities which is why we jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to ensure communities have greater control and influence over decisions that affect them most. 'We are also committed to working with local authorities to deliver greater regional empowerment on decision making and investment and are working with partners to explore ways of devolving further powers to Regional Economic Partnerships, including Glasgow City Region. 'In addition, the Scottish Government has delivered a wide range of fiscal powers for local councils including greater powers within planning, parking charges, workplace parking and in Council Tax, being able to charge up to 100% on second and long term empty homes.'
ITV News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
SPFL season returns as League Cup kicks off 2025/26 campaign
The 2025/26 Scottish football season gets underway this weekend as the Scottish League Cup marks the beginning of the new season. Two of our sides are in action with Annan Athletic hosting Forfar Athletic and Stranraer hosting Ross County. There is no game for Queen of the South with their campaign beginning on Tuesday evening. Annan Athletic have been handed a tricky draw in the cup this year with one Premiership side, two Scottish Championship sides and one fellow League Two side providing tough opposition for Wullie Gibson's team. Queen of the South and Stranraer share a spot in Group B of the competition with Ross County, Partick Thistle and Edinburgh City their opponents. For Stranraer morale is high coming into the new campaign following a season largely without any relegation fears last time out. Manager Chris Aitken spoke to ITV Border about the readiness of his players ahead of the first match of the season. He said: "Training has been excellent. I have got to admit the players' application has been second to none and to be fair I knew that with the signings we had made. "The boys came back and started early and it just feels like we are starting earlier and earlier. The guys have came back in really good shape and the fitness levels are really good. "We have had one disaster with an injury but that is just part and parcel of it but all in all we are really excited to get the campaign up and running tomorrow. 'It is going to be very tough but I always think of it as an opportunity for guys to come in and show their worth at this level. "I have signed six or seven players who have played in the West of Scotland League and I feel as though they can go and play in League Two no problem. "The way I sold it to them was the opportunity, we know with the finances of the club we are not enriched to go and offer big wages but the ones I have brought in are the type we want to have at the club. Last night after training the talk was now it is the real stuff." Stranraer hosted two Northern Ireland Premiership sides over pre-season, whilst also taking on Irvine Meadow and Hurlford United. Aitken believes the pre-season test for his players have put them in a good position to take on two Scottish Championship sides in their first two games. He said: "The Irish teams coming over are always good games for Stranraer because they bring good quality opposition and they bring a good crowd. "The way equipped ourselves for those games was really pleasing and it is all credit to the boys because their fitness levels were really good." League Two is set to be a competitive league this season with two sides coming down from League One and East Kilbride being promoted from the Lowland League. Aitken though is excited about the prospect of a high quality league this season and says he can't wait to test himself and the players. He said: "I think League Two and League One are always tough leagues regardless who is in them and what opposition is in them. "With Dumbarton and Annan coming down they will be looking to push themselves to try and get back up and East Kilbride are coming with a big ambition. "I am really looking forward to going back to East Kilbride, I know a lot of good people there. These are the challenges as to why I took the job and it is a challenge I am really relishing."
Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Pirates-Old Boys dominate, into final
Pirates-Old Boys and Woodlands will contest the 2025 Galbraith Shield final on Saturday after winning their Southland premier club rugby semifinals. Pirates-Old Boys beat Marist 56-26 last weekend on centrestage at Rugby Park. POB were the minor premiership winners, and started warm favourites after comfortably beating Marist the previous weekend in the last round-robin match. POB scored the first converted try to right wing Sam McLachlan before Marist drew level after 10 minutes. They scored the next two tries when second five-eighth Napo Seru charged the ball up from 10 metres out from the line and create the line break and momentum for flanker Kosei Miki to "pick and go" over the line. A few minutes later POB spread the ball wide to left wing Sam Wheely to score in the corner. Marist did well to score the next two tries to close the gap to 21-19, but five minutes before halftime, the competition's best centre Jaye Thompson broke the line and committed the cover defenders before off-loading to wing Isaac Rounds to put POB ahead 28-19. Six minutes into the second half, POB made a break down the terrace side and Thompson followed up the inside to score under the posts. Fullback Kaea Nikora finished off what was an excellent POB team build-up that included bursts from most of their key ball-runners. Sixteen minutes into the second half POB pushed Marist off their own scrum-feed and moved the ball quickly to Thompson on the left edge to coast to the line for his second try. Things were looking dire at this stage for Marist but they did manage to score a try under the posts to make it 49-26 with 20 minutes remaining. Replacement outside back Nick Munro scored in the corner with his first touch of the ball to round out the point scoring for the victors. Woodlands beat the Eastern Northern Barbarians 15-5 in the semifinal at Oreti Park. Woodlands finished the round-robin in second position and had earned home ground advantage but took the match out to the firmer sand-based surface at Oreti Park. The Barbarians showed plenty of determination and passion as they have done all season, but losing openside flanker Leroy Ferguson to injury after 15 minutes and fullback Taylor Peterson just after halftime were a couple setbacks to their cause. Barbarians coach AJ Aitken said the game was a real battle of attrition. "We felt in control for most of the first half but when Woodlands got their opportunities they just pushed us so far back into our own territory that it was too hard to get out of." Aitken said the Woodlands game-drivers were clinical in the second half. "Liam Howley come on and together with Marty McKenzie and Fletcher Morgan they just ran a masterclass." Aitken was pretty happy with the season's efforts. "This was the first year with our new set up and I'm proud of the group. After we lost a few games on the trot, there were a lot of people who didn't think we would make it to the semifinals. We'll have a few beers today (Sunday) and after a few weeks off we'll start thinking about next season." In division one action last Saturday, Pioneer beat the Riversdale Waikaka Vikings 28-25 in front of big crowd on sponsors day at Newman Park. The Vikings looked good with the ball in-hand and outscored Pioneer three tries to two, but poor discipline let the Vikings down. Pioneer kicked their penalty goals to take the win and the Dwyer Cup after leading 16-15 at halftime. Highlanders loose forward Hayden Michaels donned the Pioneer jersey for the first time in five years. He only managed seven minutes on the park before Ryan Davers came on as his replacement and delivered an outstanding performance — winning several crucial turnovers that swung momentum in Pioneer's favour. Riley Smith slotted into the fullback role seamlessly and kicked well under pressure to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Pioneer's hooker Kerry Power was man of the match, while blindside Sam Calder also stood out. Pioneer had three sets of brothers on the field; Eugene and Joe Gillies, Jordy and Riley Smith Josh and Ryan Davers. Gavin Hickey, playing for the president's grade team in the curtain raiser match made his 100th appearance in Pioneer colours. The milestone was made more memorable for Hickey as he was sharing the field with his three sons. Second five-eighth Flynn Reed was best of the Vikings with try scoring wing Jacob French and centre Hayden Stephen also impressing on the day. Edendale beat Albion 50-14 at the Showgrounds. Albion got out to a 14-point lead before the experienced heads of halfback Jahvis Wallace and Jeremy McLeod sparked Edendale into action and the visitors went into halftime leading 21-14. Edendale scored some great tries in the second half, including two tries to man of the match Jahvis Wallace. Midfielder Jeremy McLeod is peaking at the right end of the season, while Logan van der Straaten had a solid game at centre while creating scoring opportunities for the backline. Adam Muir got through a mountain of work in the tight exchanges and lock George Muschamp was again at his best. Wyndham beat Bluff 26-15 after leading 17-10 at halftime. Blindside flanker Jaden Walsh was the top performer on the day for the locals, with prop Oliver Woodrow and halfback Noah Sutton also playing high-quality games. On an all-too-rare occasion, Wyndham and Bluff presidents' grade teams also played each other in the curtainraiser match, lifting the supporter numbers for both clubs on the day. Tokanui had the weekend off and will head to Riversdale this Saturday to play the Vikings. Edendale hold second spot on the competition ladder and host a Pioneer team that has also secured a semifinal spot for the following week. Albion will head down to Bluff for their last game of the year, while the minor premiership winners Wyndham will travel to Te Anau. By John Langford
STV News
26-06-2025
- STV News
Councillors agree public health response to youth violence
The deaths of three teenagers in Glasgow as a result of knife crime have been described as 'a warning sign' by Glasgow's council leader, as councillors agreed to look at what can be done to tackle the problem. The city leader brought the issue before councillors during Thursday's full council meeting after a large-scale march through Glasgow was held by the parents of Kory McCrimmon to raise awareness of an 'epidemic' of knife crime in the country. Councillors paid tribute to Kory, 16, who was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow on May 31, 2024. A 14-year-old was later sentenced to five years' detention over the death of Kory. His family have since campaigned to tackle knife crime on Scotland's streets. Council leader Susan Aitken said his death, and the recent deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy, showed there was a growing problem with youth violence in Scotland. During the meeting, Cllr Aitken said that the loss of young lives should be something that is never taken for granted and taken as a warning sign. She said: 'We should take the opportunity to ask what we do collectively that matches the necessity of the moment and whether it is enough. 'Today's generation, who are at school or are leaving school, have already experienced constraints, and that is just one of the complex range of stress factors that we are dealing with. 'Let's not forget that our city centre, our streets and our communities belong to our young people. 'If some of our young people are being drawn into violence by anti-social behaviour that negatively affects them and the wider public, then that's a problem and we need to address it. 'If other young folk are so fearful of being affected by violence that they themselves need to carry blades, that's a cycle we need to break.' Councillors agreed that Glasgow's families needed to be part of the solution, as the events in recent months have caused concerns about safety. SNP councillor Laura Doherty said: 'We must take a balanced view. While recent events have rightly drawn attention, the broader picture is more complex. 'This isn't about labelling a generation, it's about recognising that a small number of our young people are facing challenges and early, thoughtful intervention is essential. 'The truth is, today young people are growing up in a very different world. One person's social media can distort values, peer pressure can be seen and accepted as constant and negative influences are just a few clicks away. 'The pandemic causes disruption to learning, social development and mental well-being. We are now seeing some of the long-term effects of that destruction.' In her motion, Cllr Aitken said there was 'deep concern about recent incidents of violence involving young people in Glasgow' and that it was 'enormously worrying for our communities.' And while she stressed it had not yet reached the levels of violence that plagued the city 20 years ago and led to the creation of the Violence Reduction Unit, lessons learned at that time about different agencies working together remained important today. A composite motion, agreed by the SNP, Greens and Labour, welcomed the activism of community groups, such as Parents Against Knives, led by the parents of Kory and highlighted that disadvantages such as poverty, exclusion and racism are contributing risk factors in violence. They agreed this must be addressed through trauma-informed and anti-poverty strategies and that a public health-based response to violence affecting young people was needed. Labour councillor Kevin Lalley said: 'The horrors of knife violence are a truly heartbreaking event, an event that affects many citizens across their communities. 'Many young people have a future to look forward t,o but with the recent violence,e these [children] have no future. 'This is an opportunity for all of us here to think about recent events and reach out to our communities to help the younger generations, look for the child that sits alone, look for the child that looks sad, look for the child that doesn't turn up to activities. 'These are the disengaged children, the ones who slip through the system, the ones we miss. Let's commit today to help our communities to provide safety as a given, not an ask. 'We must all get involved to ensure tragedies that affect many families can be averted.' Amen Teklay, 15, died after being found seriously injured in the St George's Cross area of the city on March 5. The bright schoolboy, originally from Eritrea, had been living in Glasgow with his father for a number of years and had recently received 'right to remain' status in the UK. Three teenagers, aged 14, 15 and 16, have appeared at Glasgow Sheriff court charged in connection with Amen's death. Two are charged with murder, whilst the 15-year-old is facing an assault charge. All have made no plea, and the 14-year-old and 16-year-old have been remanded in custody. Kayden Moy, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire on May 17 this year and later died at Crosshouse Hospital. His death sparked calls for more action to be taken locally on knife crime, with a petition in East Kilbride being signed by over 1500 people. Three teenagers have been arrested following Kayden's death. Two 17-year-olds and a 14-year-old have appeared in court charged with murder. The council will now instruct the chief executive to explore how all young people can be meaningfully involved in shaping the direction of local strategies and services to stop the violence. Summing up, councillor Aitken said: 'I think it is fair to say we do have a shared determination across this chamber to act and use all the knowledge and experience and convene in a way that responds to the moment and that we intervene to ensure no more lives are lost. 'We must make sure the opportunities are there for young people to choose the future that they want and where they are going with their lives that is positive.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
