Invest in our public services or lose them, says UNISON Scotland

9th December 2020

That is the message UNISON Scotland will be taking to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes at a meeting tomorrow (Thursday 10 December 2020). UNISON is calling on the Scottish government to plug the funding gap in local government to protect jobs and essential services.



Local government in Scotland has suffered more than a decade of cuts and is now under severe financial strain as a result of the pandemic, with increased demand for services and a substantial loss of income.



Johanna Baxter, UNISON head of local government, said: "We know that many local authorities are now recasting their budgets and are looking at service cuts as a result of the financial crises they are in. The Scottish government needs to step up to protect the vital jobs and services they provide and reward local government workers who have gone above and beyond in keeping our communities safe during the pandemic.



"This is a crisis of unprecedented scale. We have already seen £2bn of ‘efficiencies' taken out of local government over the last decade and the pandemic has led to a double whammy of extra demand for services alongside a substantial loss of income. If the Scottish government doesn't invest in local government now we stand to lose some of the vital public services we all rely on."



Mark Ferguson, chair of UNISON Scotland's local government committee, said: "Urgent investment is needed to protect essential jobs and services, reward the heroic efforts of local government workers and provide the stability needed for economic recovery.



"The willingness of workers in local authorities to adapt and shift priorities and roles to ensure vital functions for their communities have been maintained has been an exemplary response by an under-resourced and undervalued workforce which should be recognised and rewarded by the Scottish Government.



"UNISON will be calling on Kate Forbes to recognise the efforts of workers equally and extend the £500 bonus payment to all public service workers who we have relied upon during this pandemic and beyond."