Councils fear the Government will strong-arm them into ditching cuts to teacher numbers by playing hardball on £145million of funding. Local authority chiefs believe the cash could be used as a “sanction” to prevent classroom savings.
Labour MSP Michael Marra said: “Panicking SNP ministers are now descending to fines instead of finance for hard-pressed councils. Ministers need to be putting resources into councils to avert these cuts. These people are meant to be running Scotland’s education. I wouldn’t send them out for a bag of chips.”
Councils are engaged in a stand-off with Ministers over how to plug a black hole in their budgets. Town hall leaders believe cuts to teaching posts have to be on the table if other services are to be protected.
As revealed by the Record, Glasgow City Council is considering plans to axe 800 teacher posts alone. But the SNP/Green Government is opposed and is planning to outline its strategy within days on how to compel councils to maintain numbers.
A leaked document by council umbrella group COSLA reveals concerns the Government will use £145million of funding to local authorities for more teachers as their bargaining chip. It noted: “On teacher numbers, this may be sanctions on the £145.5m in 2023/24 but does not preclude more severe sanctions in future years.”
In an interview yesterday, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville dropped a hint that attaching conditions to the cash is being examined. She said: “At the start of the financial year we’re currently in, there was a discussion between Scottish Government and local government about how that money should be spent.
"And [there was] an agreement that we should see additional teachers and support staff, and we should also see an increase in the number of permanent [jobs]. That didn’t happen. We didn’t ring fence it and it wasn’t used in the way that we agreed. I don’t think it’s surprising that we try an alternative approach.”
A letter by Somerville to COSLA laid down four red lines for the Government over education. She demanded teacher numbers are “at least maintained” at current levels, as well as expecting the number of pupil support assistants to remain the same.
She also wrote that places for probationers must remain available and insisted on “no reduction” in learning hours in the school week. But council chiefs have warned “massive” council tax hikes will be necessary if teacher posts are shielded from the cuts. Teachers account for around one third of the local government pay bill.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The Scottish Government is committed to recruiting more teachers. Indeed, we have provided additional resource to local authorities to do just that.
“We will take steps to ensure that the funding we are providing to councils to maintain increased numbers of teachers delivers that outcome. Further detail will be set out to the Scottish Parliament in the coming days.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
