Scottish government accused of attack on councils over teacher jobs
- Published
Local authorities have criticised the government over proposed moves
Council leaders have accused the Scottish government of an "an unnecessary and unwanted attack" on their decision-making powers.
It comes after Nicola Sturgeon confirmed teaching posts will be protected from local authority cuts.
The first minister told Holyrood it would not be acceptable for the teaching workforce to fall.
Cosla has announced it will seek legal advice over the move and warned it would not prevent job and service cuts.
In a joint statement, Cosla resources spokesperson Katie Hagmann and children and young people spokesperson Tony Buchanan said: "This is an unnecessary and unwanted attack and intervention on our democratic mandate as elected politicians in our own right.
"We are seeing potentially unworkable proposals foisted on us without any prior discussion or consultation with local government - proposals we will be seeking legal advice on."
Cosla said the move would force councils to make reductions in other support offered to children and young people.
"Local authorities will have to consider cutting pupil support staff, libraries, youth work and other vital services that support the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people."
Nicola Sturgeon says teacher cuts would be unacceptable
A document seen by BBC Scotland, prepared by Cosla for a meeting on Friday, states that ministers are considering introducing new regulations under the Education (Scotland) Act 2016.
These would set a minimum number of learning hours each week to prevent councils cutting the school week, and lock current pupil-teacher ratios.
Financial penalties would be put in place for local authorities that do not comply with the number of pupils per teacher - which averaged 13.2 in 2022.
Ms Sturgeon told MSPS at First Minister's Questions on Thursday that her government had made a commitment to increase teacher numbers.
"Councils are being given additional funding specifically to deliver that, so it would not be acceptable to me, or to the Scottish government, to see teacher numbers fall," she said.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville is expected to set out the plans within days.
Council cuts
Figures published in December showed that the total number of teachers in Scotland fell by 92 year-on-year to 54,193 – despite the Scottish government earmarking £145m to help councils maintain and expand the workforce.
Following the meeting on Friday, Cosla said the statistics did not provide an accurate overview of the situation and insisted progress was being made in tackling the attainment gap, which the government says is a priority.
The local authority organisation said 620 teachers had been hired permanently between August and December, with a further 400 hired on a temporary or fixed-term basis. Cosla warned the proposals would lead to cuts and jobs losses in "already hard pressed everyday essential service like roads, libraries, and waste".
Under the Scottish government's budget proposals, it says it will increase council funding by £570m year-on-year.
Analysis published by Cosla suggests the cash increase could be just £71m once Scottish government-mandated policies are paid for, while it claims capital funding will remain flat for next year.
It has called for a £1bn cash injection to maintain current services and fund pay deals for staff.
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- Published12 January 2023
