Scottish councils have hit out at the government over a “fundamental breach of trust” that they say will have an impact on efforts to end the dispute over teacher pay, which this week continues to see schools closed across the country.
Councils claim that £32.8 million of recurring funding needed to pay for the 2021-22 teacher pay award has been removed from the 2023-24 budget and that councils are being told instead to use funding totalling £145.5 million - and originally earmarked for additional teachers and support staff - to fund the rise.
Local authorities’ body Cosla says the move will “impact both the pay negotiations and the number of teachers that councils can employ going forward”. The government, however, says that the claims are “incorrect”.
Scottish teachers have now been striking over pay since the end of November. This week the walkouts continued with teachers in two local authorities striking every day and more strikes planned over the coming weeks and months.
Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has hinted that progress is being made - yesterday she told the Scottish Parliament that compromise was needed “from all sides” and that “we have had such discussions over the past couple of weeks in particular”.
She added that she looked “forward to those continuing in that manner”.
However, any resolution is dependent on trust between the unions, the government and councils. Now, councils say that has been breached as a result of the government’s failure to continue to fully fund a previous pay deal.
Stephen McCabe - the Labour leader of Inverclyde Council and former children and young people spokesperson for Cosla - told Tes Scotland that the government’s failure to provide recurring funding for the 2021-22 teacher pay rise was “a fundamental breach of trust”.
He added: “It undermines confidence in the cabinet secretary and the government at a time when we are trying to work together to secure a resolution to the current pay dispute.”
In response, the Scottish government said Mr McCabe was “incorrect” and that in 2023-24 £145.5 million had been allocated to local government “to support the education workforce, with the intention that it will be used by councils for spend relating to additional teachers and support staff, and pay”.
The Scottish government spokesperson added: “Overall in 2023-24, we are increasing the resources available to local government by over £570 million - a real-terms increase of £160.6 million.”
However, Tes Scotland put the government’s position to Cosla and the body insisted that Mr McCabe was in fact right.
A Cosla spokesperson said: “In March 2022, Scottish government agreed to provide councils with £32.8 million to meet the recurring costs of the 2021-22 teachers’ pay award.
“This was over and above the £145.5 million provided for additional teachers and support staff. These were two separate funding streams, and both were taken through our joint governance and agreed by both council leaders and ministers.
“Scottish government has unilaterally taken the decision to change the nature of the £145.5 million and to stop the £32.8 million funding for recurring pay costs.”
The spokesperson added: “As yet, there has been no official communication on this. Cosla’s resources and children and young people’s spokespeople will meet with Ms Somerville on 25 January to discuss.
“A reduction of £32.8 million will impact both the pay negotiations and the number of teachers that councils can employ going forward.”
Today, giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee on the 2023-24 Budget, Ms Somerville was asked about the £145.5 million allocated “to recruit and deploy additional staff”.
She said the money had been “baselined in the local government settlement” so that councils could employ more teachers, as well as increase the number of teachers on permanent contracts.
She said she had been “exceptionally disappointed” because there had been “no real improvement” in permanent contracts and “a small decrease in the number of teachers”.
Ms Somerville said: “If we start off with a shared understanding about what money is for, I do expect it to be used in that fashion.”
