Agenda item
Notice of Motion by Councillor Laing
That Council:-
(i) Notes that UNISON Scotland is running a campaign called Plug The Gap that is geared toward the gap in local government funding across Scotland in light of the austerity measure pre-pandemic and the additional financial burden on local authorities as a result of Covid-19.
The campaign focuses on four main themes:
1. Securing the long-term financial stability of local government: calling for urgent investment by Scottish Government in local government to protect jobs and pay for the future.
2. Rewarding local government workers: for the vital services that local government workers provide to our communities.
3. Shaping local government for the future: looking at how services and roles will change as a result of the pandemic
4. Consolidation of the Living Wage: Delivery of full consolidation of the living wage across Scotland.
(ii) Agrees to support the Unison campaign and therefore agrees that the Chief Executive write to the President of COSLA and the Minister for local government asking both to support the Unison campaign to ensure the four aims of UNISON Scotland campaign are supported in full.
Minutes:
The Council had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Laing in the following terms:-
That Council:-
(i) Notes that UNISON Scotland is running a campaign called Plug The Gap that is geared toward the gap in local government funding across Scotland in light of the austerity measure pre-pandemic and the additional financial burden on local authorities as a result of Covid-19.
The campaign focuses on four main themes:
1. Securing the long-term financial stability of local government:
calling for urgent investment by Scottish Government in local government to protect jobs and pay for the future.
2. Rewarding local government workers: for the vital services that
local government workers provide to our communities.
3. Shaping local government for the future: looking at how services
and roles will change as a result of the pandemic.
4. Consolidation of the Living Wage: Delivery of full consolidation of the living wage across Scotland.
(ii) Agrees to support the Unison campaign and therefore agrees that the Chief Executive write to the President of COSLA and the Minister for local government asking both to support the Unison campaign to ensure the four aims of UNISON Scotland campaign are supported in full.
Councillor Laing moved, seconded by Councillor Macdonald:-
That the Council -
(1) approve the notice of motion;
(2) agree to adopt the motion unanimously agreed by COSLA on 11 December 2020 as noted below, and therefore instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Local Government Minister urging him to commit to ensuring that the £500 bonus payment to Health and Social Care staff is extended to all Covid-19 responders and key workers across local government. Agree that the Scottish Government should fully fund this one-off payment including any costs associated with the delivery of this payment; and
(3) instruct the Chief Executive to report the response from the Minister at the next meeting of the City Growth and Resources Committee.
COSLA
Item 11 - £500 Bonus Payment to Health and Social Care Staff
1) Agree that whilst the Scottish Government’s announcement to pay £500 (full-time equivalent) to NHS and Social Care staff is welcomed and deserved, it has missed tens of thousands of Public Sector Workers in Local Government, who have been working throughout the pandemic and left wondering why their heroic efforts are not worth rewarding.
2) Recognise that Local Government has been operating under extremely difficult circumstances - distributing food/medicine/essential items across Scotland, protecting/caring for our vulnerable and elderly, collecting waste, staffing temporary mortuaries, staffing the hubs of “keyworker” children, keeping schools and early years open, staffing the asymptomatic testing sites, Environmental Health & Trading Standards Officers enforcing public health and wellbeing, Mental Health Workers with increased caseloads, Housing and Craft workers who have been working in tenants’ homes, the army of cleaning staff who have done a brilliant job in our care homes/essential buildings/schools and those who have been issuing emergency support grants, noting that this is not an exhaustive list.
3) Recognise the efforts made by many other key workers in the public, private and 3rd sectors in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
4) Call on Scottish Government to ensure that it recognises the efforts across our “one workforce” in local government and lobby Scottish Government to ensure that this payment is extended to all Covid-19 responders and key workers across local government and that they are rewarded equally.
5) Seek their public assurance that Scottish Government will fully fund the payment and costs associated with the delivery of this payment.
Councillor Alex Nicoll moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor McRae:-
That the Council -
(i) notes that UNISON Scotland is running a campaign called Plug The Gap that is geared toward the gap in local government funding across Scotland in light of the austerity measure pre-pandemic and the additional financial burden on local authorities as a result of Covid-19.
The campaign focuses on four main themes:
1. Securing the long-term financial stability of local government:
calling for urgent investment by Scottish Government in local government to protect jobs and pay for the future.
2. Rewarding local government workers: for the vital services that
local government workers provide to our communities.
3. Shaping local government for the future: looking at how services
and roles will change as a result of the pandemic.
4. Consolidation of the Living Wage: Delivery of full consolidation of the living wage across Scotland.
(ii) notes with regret that in his Autumn Statement, the UK Chancellor reduced the amount of central Government funding for English local authorities as well as freezing the pay of public sector workers, both of which decisions will have knock on effects for the Devolved Administrations;
(iii) notes that UNISON Scotland Regional Secretary Mike Kirby has welcomed the Scottish Government announcement of a £500 bonus payment for NHS and Social Care Workers for taking care of us and the most vulnerable in our society during this unprecedented crisis;
(iv) welcomes the announcement of the Scottish Government of the introduction of a £100million support package. Funding to help people pay for food, heating, warm clothing and shelter during the winter. The fund will help those on low incomes, children and people at risk of homelessness or social isolation cope with winter weather and the economic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and Brexit.
Key elements of the plan include:
· £22m for low income families including £16m to give the low income families of an estimated 156,000 children in receipt of free school meals a one-off £100 payment by Christmas
· £23.5m to help vulnerable children through additional support for residential and care homes, social work, and the Children’s Hearing system
· £15m for the Communities and Third Sector Recovery Programme to support the work of local organisations
· £5.9m to promote digital inclusion for older people, support social isolation and loneliness and to promote equality
· £7m to help people who are struggling to pay fuel bills
· £5m to help those at risk of homelessness find a settled home;
(v) notes the Winter Plan for Social Protection also includes £15m of flexible funding for local authorities entering COVID-19 protection level 4 - announced by the First Minister earlier this month - which can be used to pay for food and essentials;
(vi) notes that Scotland will shortly become the only part of the UK to give low income families an extra £10 per week for every child - initially for children up to age 6 and then for every child up to age 16;
(vii) notes with deep regret that the UK Chancellor has so far refused to agree to allow the Scottish Government payments of £500 to NHS and Social Care Workers to be made free of income tax or other deductions;
(viii) instructs the Chief Executive to write to the UK Chancellor expressing deep concern at this “scrooge-like” decision and with the request he reverse his decision forthwith; and
(ix) agrees to support the Unison campaign and the anti-austerity announcements by the Scottish Government and therefore agrees that the Chief Executive write to the President of COSLA, together with all Aberdeen City constituency and regional list MSPs requesting they support the aforementioned measures in full.
On a division, there voted:-
For the motion (24) - Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Boulton, Cross, Delaney, Lesley Dunbar, Graham, Grant, Greig, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Malik, Mason MSP, Reynolds, Sellar, Wheeler and Yuill.
For the amendment (19) - Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Jackie Dunbar, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Alex Nicoll, Audrey Nicoll, Noble, Radley and Townson.
Absent from the division (1) - Councillor Duncan.
The Council resolved:-
to adopt the motion.