Latest news with #ScottishConservatives
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
A £1bn bonfire of SNP quangos and bloated public sector? Don't hold your breath!
Quangos will be merged and jobs axed under SNP proposals to strip £1 billion a year of costs from Scotland's 'bloated' public sector. In a blueprint described as 'word soup' by unions and opposition politicians, measures considered will include cutting spending by a fifth on the 'corporate functions' or backroom costs of the Scottish Government and other public bodies over the next 10 years. Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said it included proposals to 'remove, amalgamate or change' the number of public bodies, as well as sharing backroom services between different organisations. New guidance on redeployment and severance policies for public sector bodies will also be introduced, while there will be a greater shift towards digital services and communications. Opponents dismissed the proposals as a 'wish list' and condemned the lack of details about where the savings would be made and which quangos will be asked. Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Craig Hoy said: 'After much hype, the SNP government has produced a 49-page wish-list of word soup that fails to mention waste once. 'It begs the question as to why the SNP have not thought to make these savings at any point over their 18 years in power while they have been wasting taxpayers' money on a colossal scale. 'There is still an astonishing lack of detail as to where these savings will be made, or what quangos will be axed. The public simply will not trust the SNP to suddenly tackle the enormous waste they have presided over.' McKee said: 'Through the tools at our disposal, the efficiency workstreams in our strategy will reduce identified costs on Scottish Government and public body spend on corporate functions by 20 per cent over the next five years, and that equates to an annualised £1 billion cost reduction by 2029-30. 'This will require every part of the public sector to reduce the cost of doing business to prioritise the front line. All public bodies are already required to deliver best value, but this is about going further and faster. It is about taking all available opportunities to introduce and embed efficiency through automation, digitisation, estate rationalisation, and changing the delivery landscape. 'This is about delivering significant change - including structural reform in government and for public bodies, where that is needed.' He said there needs to be 'better joined-up services' and the public sector needs to be 'ready to reshape our workforce', and added: 'Everyone recognises that things must change, but that creates challenges, as well as opportunities, for employees. 'So we will work with partners, staff and trade unions to ensure we have the right number of people in the right roles to deliver real and meaningful change, and that staff very importantly are empowered to make services better.' During his speech, he also admitted that 'despite increased investment, public satisfaction with services has fallen'. The document published yesterday set out 18 different 'workstreams' where reforms can be introduced, as well as some specific proposals. Most of the measures still lack full details or costings and will continue to be worked on by officials. One proposal is to 'remove, amalgamate or change the number of public bodies where doing so will increase efficiency, remove duplication and improve service delivery', as well as to 'identify duplication across public bodies and work with those bodies to share processes/services'. Other plans propose to share services between different bodies, while the document also promises to consider new 'ways of working' for staff. It proposes 'a collective approach to recruitment, promotion and performance management' across public bodies, and a review of reporting and scrutiny requirements. It also promises a shift towards digital services, with 25 per cent of all Scottish Government, agency and quango correspondence by digital means by 2030, which it said would save £100 million a year. A pilot of a Scottish Government app as 'a gateway to personalised public services' is also proposed for this financial year, with the first use expected to be for 'proof of age'. Data on corporate function costs will be collected and published on all public bodies to 'drive efficiencies' and remove duplication, while new financial targets will be set for operating and staff costs. The plan also talks about 'promote best practice guidance for workforce change', including the approach to redeployment and severance policy. The Scottish Government will also 'further develop our shared services thinking and propositions across a range of services'. Trade union leaders hit out at 'illogical' cuts to staffing at a time of growing pressure on services. STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: 'Whenever government ministers speak of public sector 'efficiencies', workers anxiously hold their breath. 'These cuts, prepacked as reforms, miss the mark entirely. Simply put: you can't fix public services by cutting the very people who keep them running. 'Talk of reducing headcount while NHS waiting times spiral, A&E departments are overwhelmed and social care is in crisis is as reckless as it is illogical.' As Mr McKee unveiled the proposals, fiscal experts demanded a full roadmap to public sector reform. At an event hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: 'The Fiscal Commission and others are pointing out that we have a significant gap in the way we spend public money compared to the money that we're receiving, so there are difficult choices coming our way as a country.'
Scotsman
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Level of support for A96 dualling revealed as ministers renew commitment to £5bn scheme
Bypasses of Elgin and Keith among popular priorities Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ministers have renewed their commitment to fully dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness as a consultation showed nearly two-thirds support and bypasses of Elgin and Keith seen as the priorities. However, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has still to decide whether to go ahead with the full scheme or parts of it, which was largely put on hold as part of an SNP-Scottish Greens power-sharing deal in 2021, which ended last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 86 miles of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverurie remain single carriageway | Google Street View The Scottish Conservatives pointed to 76 per cent dissatisfaction with a subsequent review of the scheme that included partial dualling as showing people wanted the full route upgraded. Transport Scotland published the results of a three month consultation into a range of improvements costing up to £1 billion on Thursday which attracted 1,441 responses. An 86-mile section between Inverness and south of Inverurie remains single carriageway. In November, Ms Hyslop abandoned the target of dualling it by 2030 at an estimated cost of up to £5bn. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Government agency said 63 per cent expressed support for full dualling, although that wasn't specifically asked in the consultation questionnaire. Specific measures which received the greatest support were dual carriageway bypasses of Elgin and Keith, road safety improvements and upgrades to the Aberdeen-Inverness railway line, which runs largely parallel to the road. Ms Hyslop said: 'The position of the Scottish Government has not changed – the current favoured position is to fully dual the A96 and we are already starting the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including a Nairn bypass, having acquired the land for the scheme earlier this year. 'I have now received the report on the feedback gathered during the consultation and will be considering the findings alongside the review's extensive appraisal and assessment work before a decision is made on improvements to the A96 corridor. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Any decision on the way ahead for the A96 corridor will need to take into consideration the UK Government's recent Spending Review and its impact on Scottish budgets, and the forthcoming update to the Scottish Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan, expected later this year.' Scottish Conservatives North East MSP Douglas Lumsden said: 'These results categorically show what everyone wants and that's for the A96 to finally be dualled. 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this needs to happen, which is why this consultation was a ploy by the SNP to kick any decision into another parliamentary term. 'This sends an emphatic message to the SNP government to stop playing games with the lives of motorists and fulfil their promise of upgrading the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's scandalous that 14 years after they vowed to do this, the SNP still won't commit to upgrading the Aberdeenshire section or building a bypass for Inverurie.' But Transform Scotland director Colin Howden said: "The Scottish Government's transport capital investment is already horribly skewed towards vastly expensive road projects that simply don't stand up to scrutiny.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
SNP deny 192,000 scots OAPs winter fuel cash
Nearly 200,000 Scots OAPs won't get winter fuel help after the SNP broke their promise on universal payments. The Scottish Government announced yesterday that it would only provide its new devolved benefit to those earning less than £35,000. They will receive payments of £203.40 or £305.10 – figures which have been set marginally higher than the £200 and £300 rates offered south of the Border. But those with personal incomes above £35,000 a year – including pensions, investments and other earnings – will have the payments recovered from them through the tax system. It means that 853,000 will receive the payment and get to keep it, while around 192,000 – or nearly one in five – will have it clawed back because they earn more than £35,000. This is despite the SNP previously pledging that they would provide a 'universal' payment this winter, with everyone receiving at least £100. Scottish Conservative social security spokesman Liz Smith said: 'The SNP, like Labour, shamefully betrayed pensioners by axing universal winter fuel payments, before being forced into a humiliating climbdown by the public outcry. 'But this latest announcement means that hundreds of thousands of Scots will not have the payment even partially restored – despite John Swinney's promise that they would. 'This latest slap in the face will not be forgotten or forgiven.' A series of policy announcements and U-turns have been made about winter fuel payments since the Labour government first announced cuts last year. Over the past winter, only those on pension credit received a payment following the initial cuts by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the SNP's decision to delay the introduction of the devolved pension age winter heating payments. First Minister John Swinney committed earlier this week to ensuring that all pensioners receive at least the same amount as those in England. But when SNP ministers unveiled the full detail of their plan yesterday, it was confirmed that the intention is for those with income above £35,000 to have this clawed back through the tax system. The Scottish Government confirmed 133,000 pensioners in receipt of pension credit were already receiving winter fuel payments over the last winter, while an additional 720,000 with earnings below £35,000 will become eligible this winter. Adam Stachura, policy director at Age Scotland, said: 'While this is a considerable increase for the vast majority of pensioners compared to what the Scottish Government had originally planned, it only really brings it back to what they received two winters ago. Around four in ten Scottish pensioners were living in fuel poverty then, and it will have sky-rocketed since. 'The policy making on this payment has been guddled, lacked consultation, and politically charged throughout. 'While this is partly to do with the speed of the UK Government's original change and subsequent U-turn, the Scottish Government's repeated commitment to universality and its benefits has been abandoned in a heartbeat. 'While in the end this payment is broadly now proportionally fairer, it doesn't really match the material need of most older people and take advantage of the financial means the government has available to improve it.' Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: 'The UK Government's decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment last winter was a betrayal of millions of pensioners, and their recent U-turn is welcome if belated. 'Following careful consideration of the options available, the Scottish Government will mirror the approach taken by the UK Government. We will bring forward regulations to ensure that, from this winter onwards, all pensioners will receive either £203.40 or £305.10 per household, depending on age. 'We are in discussion with the UK Government to extend the proposed arrangements in England and Wales to recover payments from those pensioners with an individual income of more than £35,000 through the tax system. 'The intention is that the payment will be recovered automatically, and pensioners will not need to register with HMRC for this or take any further action. 'This approach ensures a higher level of support which those most in need will receive. 'Over 720,000 Scottish pensioners are estimated to benefit from the higher payment.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Scotland's new housing minister unable to say how many people on waiting list for a home
Scotland's housing secretary was accused of not being on 'top of her brief' yesterday after she failed to answer a basic question about the country's colossal waiting list. Nearly quarter of a million people are on the social housing waiting list – but Nationalist minister Mairi McAllan could not recall the vital statistic. The SNP politician, who started her job last week, admitted she did not 'have that figure' when asked during a television interview at a Wheatley Group development in Bathgate, West Lothian. Meghan Gallacher, the Scottish Conservative housing spokesman, said: 'It's a slap in a face to Scots stuck on housing waiting lists that Mairi McAllan is clearly not on top of her new brief. 'Thousands of people are desperate for somewhere to call home and will despair at the latest SNP housing minister failing to answer such basic questions. 'If Mairi McAllan is to instil any confidence as the SNP's housing secretary then she must urgently get up to speed rather than repeating the mistakes of her predecessors.' The comments came after the interview with STV News, where Ms McAllan tried to explain why she did not have the figure. She told the broadcaster: 'So in my office in parliament I have a dashboard that demonstrates to me the number of people who are waiting, who are in temporary accommodation. 'It's not that I don't know it, I don't have the figure with me today. We are investing more than ever in the delivery of affordable homes, and... I am turning over every stone that I can to make sure that more homes are available to more people in Scotland, and I'll be making that my priority.' Nearly 250,000 people across Scotland are currently on a waiting list for a social home, according to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. Its chief executive Sally Thomas said they are 'often trapped in unaffordable housing which does not meet their needs and takes a significant toll on their physical and mental wellbeing'. Ms McAllan yesterday also said she has written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner about Raac homes across Scotland. Raac – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – was widely used in mid-20th century social housing and public buildings, but can fail suddenly when it ages. Affected tenants have had to be moved, while homeowners face massive repair bills. But Scottish Labour MSP Mark Griffin said that Ms McAllan was 'already trying to pass the buck'. The housing spokesman added: 'Perhaps rather than spending time talking herself up as John Swinney's potential successor as SNP leader, Mairi McAllan should make time to speak with campaigners and take action to solve the issue of crumbling concrete in people's homes.'
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
'Angry' MSP calls for compromise with SFA and SPFL over 'skulduggery'
However, Whittle, who was a member of the Public Petitions Committee at the Scottish parliament when the governing bodies were urged to scrap regulations which had been branded 'exploitative' back in 2020, expressed his frustration at youth football campaigners turning to legal representatives in an attempt to achieve their objectives during heated exchanges. He called for compromise from both sides so that a long-running dispute which has now raged for 15 years can be settled and change achieved which enables promising players to flourish at elite professional clubs and kids who fail to make it in the paid ranks to remain involved in the sport. The Scottish Conservatives politician was speaking following a meeting of the Health, Social Care and Sport committee at Holyrood which heard evidence from Nick Hobbs of the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, Scott Robertson of RealGrassroots and Mahesh Madlani and Alex Waksman of Gunnercooke. RealGrassroots and the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland made complaints to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) back in December about four SFA and SPFL statutes which they alleged violated UK competition law and potentially constituted the economic exploitation of children. Read more: The CMA wrote to the SFA and SPFL in March reminding them of their obligations to comply with competition law and recommending they assess their practices. Whittle, while expressing his concern about the disputed 'no poach', 'no approach', 'unilateral extension' and 'development contribution' rules, admitted that he would now like to see the two factions reach agreement which benefitted the Scottish game. Hobbs, the head of investigations with the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, alleged the Wellbeing Panel which was set up to determine if players in the CAS set-up could be released from a controversial two year registration which they sign when they turn 15 acted in the interest of the clubs not children. 'The Wellbeing Panel is a really good example of the kind of attitude that underpins all of this,' he told the committee. 'On the surface, it looks and sounds like a very positive mechanism for facilitating that movement between the clubs where necessary. 'But when we met with the SFA we asked, 'In what circumstances would you envisage a wellbeing panel would refuse permission for a child to move from one club to another'. They weren't able to tell us. That strongly suggests to me that the wellbeing panel exists not as a mechanism to facilitate that movement, but as an obstacle to prevent it from happening. 'Children will tend not to raise complaints when there are significant administrative processes that they have to go through and barriers that they have to jump over. I think The Wellbeing Panel is designed to restrict movement between clubs rather than facilitate it. 'The underlying issue here, and it always has been, is that the clubs principally view these children as economic assets and have rules and processes in place which allow them to be monetised. That SFA has made rules which are in the interests of clubs and not of the children.' (Image: SNS Group) Whittle, who won European Championship and Commonwealth Games medals and competed in the Olympics during his running career, expressed hope that Ian Maxwell, SFA chief executive, and Neil Doncaster, his SPFL counterpart, would address the accusations in person when they are called in front of the committee following the Scottish parliament's summer recess. However, he revealed that he has two grandchildren who are members of the CAS system and stressed that their experiences did not tally with the evidence which had been given. He said, 'The changes which have been made to the unilateral extension rule are an adequate compromise if they're actually applied properly. The devil's in the detail here. The reality is that some do it properly, some don't. So I would like to see the application of the rule tightened up rather than the rule changed. The rule is not a problem. The application of the rule is where we need to start looking. 'There are some significant issues which need to be tackled. I have spoken to Mr Maxwell about this in a meeting we had at the SFA offices about six weeks ago. I was equally upset in that meeting as I was today. The 'no approach' rule, for example, doesn't make sense to me whatsoever. What nonsense is that? That's restrictive to everybody. 'But that's not getting to the nub of what the problem is. That's why I was getting so frustrated, because this is not getting us to where we need to be. We need to start with a blank bit of paper and say, 'What do we want?' We want a system here where we bring kids in at one level and they have the ability to route map all the way through to international level. 'But along the way there are other stations where their talent can be utilised, even if that's just playing five-a-side football with their pals. That's not happening at the moment. There's lots of things we could be doing and should be doing that would make it much better.' Read more: He added, 'I'm not optimistic the change that is needed can be achieved. If you get two sides so entrenched, it's very difficult to find compromise. My problem is this is a real grassroots issue, but all we heard from were lawyers. You're never going to get a compromise out of that. 'The SFA and SPFL will always be on the defensive if lawyers are involved. If it's a legal problem, deal with it in the courts. They kept saying, 'They're breaching this, they're breaching that'. But they've proved nothing. 'Some of the things they were saying in there did not reflect my experiences. I've got a couple of grandkids who are in the Club Academy Scotland system. One moved from a smaller club to a bigger club as well. I never saw any problems. Don't get me wrong, there are problems. If you've got 2,700 kids and you've got all these clubs, you know there is some skulduggery going on. 'But as it's not just in Scottish football where there are problems. In my sport, in track and field, if you move to a club without it being okayed you get a nine month ban. You need to have extenuating circumstances. The clubs have to agree or Scottish Athletics have to say, 'You're allowed'.' Whittle continued, 'I am quite frustrated. I think the SFA and the SPFL have got questions to answer here. But I heard a lot of conflated evidence here today which I was actually quite angry about. 'We need to get the two sides in the room with the same objective. We all have the same objective. We want to get all the kids to play football. We want all levels of football to be at their best. We want Scotland to win the World Cup. That's not going to happen obviously, but that's what we want. At the moment, the system is not allowing that to happen.' The SFA and SPFL were both approached for comment. Back in March, an SFA spokesperson said, 'We have been in dialogue with the CMA and will continue to monitor our policies and procedures in line with FIFA regulations.'
