Progress has been made in delivering on manifesto commitments to introduce the Scottish Living wage across local government, but there is still a bit to do.

The Scottish Living Wage is good news for workers as they get higher wages that also improves their health and job motivation. It’s good for employers because it reduces turnover, improves productivity and attracts better staff through reputational gain. The wider community benefits through lower benefit costs, less stress on the NHS and cash into the local economy.

We also need to spread the benefits into the private and voluntary sector through procurement. John Park MSP’s Member’s Bill sets out some practical ways of doing just that. Supporting council submissions to his consultation would help.

Procurement Bill consultation

The Scottish Government is consulting over its proposed Procurement Bill. This is another opportunity to spread the benefits of the Scottish Living Wage, but it can do much more.

It is entirely wrong that companies seeking to avoid paying their fair share of tax should be awarded council contracts. We think this is an important opportunity to do what some European cities such as Helsinki and Paris are already doing, in acting against companies using tax havens. Our consultation response suggests that Scotland should adopt a tax justice approach, barring companies involved in tax dodging from being eligible to bid. As SNP and Labour MP's at Westminster have supported this approach, we are hoping for something of a cross party consensus on this issue.

Councils don’t have to wait for the Scottish Government to act. They can join the growing council movement across Europe against tax dodging.

UK Public Service Pensions Bill

This Bill prescribes key elements of all pension schemes and that will apply to the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme for the first time. All of these matters are currently decided in Scotland and therefore significantly undermine the current and future Scottish LGPS agreement. If the Bill goes through unchanged the Scottish Parliament will be required to bring the LGPS into line with agreements reached in England on key issues. These may not reflect Scottish circumstances and constitute an unwarranted interference by the Treasury in Scottish provisions.

More at our Pensions page here.

Evidence of impact on local authorities

Local authorities in Scotland are beginning to work through the detail of the impact of welfare reforms on residents, their spending, delivery of services and their local economies. There is no doubt that these changes will have a serious impact on all local authorities. A report by the Fraser of Allander Institute for Glasgow City Council showed that £114.8million will be lost in benefits to Glasgow residents which they believe will lead to a loss 1939 jobs across Scotland 1293 of them in Glasgow. Changes will also impact of a range of services including social care and advice services.

Auditors confirm cost of police staff cuts

A report published on 20 Nov by the Accounts Commission and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) confirms not only that police officers are backfilling police staff jobs at greater cost, but expensive police overtime is increasing to plug the gaps. It is worth remembering that councils will continue to have a role in policing after next April through local plans and the funding for extra officers. Best Value applies to the new SPA and councils are entitled to expect that their resources are properly deployed. UNISON’s commentary here.

“Lets make the case for stronger local government” says Stephanie Herd, Chair of UNISON’s Local Government Committee

UNISON believes that it is democracy that makes public services responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. This means the devolution of not just more powers to Scotland, but also from Edinburgh into communities. We are concerned that the Scottish Government is taking power away from local government and therefore communities. Police, fire, care integration, ring fencing and the Council Tax freeze are just a few examples.

I believe it is time for an in depth look at the role and function of Scottish local government. UNISON will soon be publishing a discussion paper to stimulate discussion with our members. We are also commissioning a detailed study to inform the debate. We won’t be afraid to highlight difficult options.

If we do nothing there is a real risk that local councils will soon find they have no real role left. Local democracy is under threat and we need a new vision of local government for the coming decades. I hope local councillors and others who support local democracy will join us in this debate.

Violent incidents on the increase

There has been a big increase in violent incidents in local government, up by 2257 to 14274 in the last year. While there has been a marked improvement in reporting that may explain some of the increase, there are also 7,000 fewer staff working for councils.

It is noticeable that the biggest increase in violent incidents is happening in those council services that are facing the brunt of spending cuts. Staff are stretched too thinly, dealing with service users facing cuts in the services they rely on. This is a toxic cocktail that is putting hard pressed workers at greater risk of violent assault.

Full report here.

Further centralisation under cover of Better Regulation Bill

The Better Regulation Bill has particular relevance to local authorities who carry out regulatory functions like environmental health and planning. The Scottish Government is proposing to take major powers of direction that could further undermine local democracy. The core proposal is for new powers enabling duties to be placed on local authorities to implement national regulation systems. Effectively turning local authorities into the administrative arm of central government.

New powers are also proposed in planning linking the level of planning fee payable to a government assessment of performance. This performance management approach is normal for quangos, but is a major interference in the role of councils. Such scrutiny is the role of democratically elected councillors.

UNISON response here.

Community Empowerment and Engagement Bill

UNISON believes that empowering communities through increased participation is not about transferring assets or ownership of services to unelected groups of people, but about ensuring that citizens are consulted and listened to.

Our response to the Bill consultation explains our concerns that this could undermine the role of democratically elected councillors.

Public Works
UNISON Scotland's major campaign to protect public services

Protect our pensions
UNISON Scotland's campaign to secure fair and decent pensions for all

UNISON’s Local Government Network is for councillors and others with an interest in local government. Our regular e-newsletter, Council Connections, brings all of the latest news and information on what’s happening across local government in Scotland. If you are receiving this in error, or your email address is changing, please contact UNISON Scotland’s Bargaining and Campaigns team on 0141 342 2850. If you wish to unsubscribe to this email please reply to this email with ‘unsubscribe’in the subject heading.

Want more information? Visit our website for comprehensive news, information and updates on what is happening across Scotland’s public services.

UNISON, UNISON House, 14 West Campbell Street, Glasgow, Scotland, G2 6RX. Tel: 0845 355 0845.