28 January 2011
The Scottish local government workforce is set to fall sharply as councils strive to meet savings targets, the Accounts Commission for Scotland has warned.
In a report giving an overview of local government performance, published today, the watchdog revealed that the sector’s workforce had fallen by 3,600 full-time equivalents, or 1.4%, in the year to June 2010.
Staff numbers are now set to fall more steeply. ‘Further bigger reductions are predicted as councils respond to financial pressures’, it states.
The report says around two thirds of councils are currently planning voluntary early release agreements and some had already canvassed staff for voluntary severance or early retirement.
Aberdeen City Council, one of Scotland’s largest authorities, said on January 25 that it planned to make up to 900 staff redundant. The announcement came after unions rejected plans to ask workers earning more than £21,000 to take a voluntary 5% one-year pay cut.
Today’s report said Scotland’s public finances were under greater pressure than at any time since devolution in 1999. Councils and councillors faced increasingly difficult choices in allocating funds and prioritising services.
Commission chair John Baillie urged councils to build on the improvements they had made in recent years to meet the very significant challenges they faced. ‘Engaging with citizens and strong leadership and governance are crucial,’ he stressed.
The commission’s report also says fundamental changes are needed to the way councils provide services if they are to achieve savings targets and maintain quality.
In many cases, councils have produced transformation programmes to review existing and alternative ways of delivering services. These included projects involving partnership with other parts of the public sector, the private sector and the third sector.
According to the watchdog, councils need to show they have considered all options. This includes working with partners both within local government and across sectors to coordinate initiatives, remove barriers and support more efficient and effective service delivery.
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities welcomed the commission’s recognition of the work done so far by councils in addressing the financial challenges
Cosla
president Pat Watters said: ‘The report
covers the audit year 2009/10 and puts the findings in the context of the
financial challenges for this period but it also highlights the challenges
going forward. Challenges like dealing with the growing expectation and
demand from our communities for quality public services and helping those in
our communities affected by the recession in terms of the services they now
require.’
