Scotland Daily News – plus our health, public health and social care round-up for September.
Half a million Scots in ‘very deep poverty’
Good morning LGIU members! Grab your morning brew ☕ as we catch you up on everything happening in the world of local government today.
Heath, public health, and social care round-up: September 2023
Round-up | 11-min read ⌛
The health, public health and social care round-up summarises new policy, research and publications that are relevant to elected members and officers interested in health and social care. Full summary below.
SOCIAL
Half a million Scots in 'very deep poverty'
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has found that around 490,000 people in Scotland are living in "very deep poverty", earning less than 40% of median household income once housing costs are considered, while a tenth of workers are locked in persistent low pay, with women and people from ethnic minorities most affected. The report also found that 60% of children living in poverty have at least one working parent. Chris Birt, the JRF's associate director for Scotland, said poor Scots face another "crushing winter", adding: "The Scottish government can still meet its child poverty reduction targets but it needs to get a move on. While the Scottish Child Payment is providing crucial support to families and starting to drive poverty down again, it isn't enough." A key issue, he said, "is the failure for work to be a reliable route out of poverty, particularly for women", with major industries "trapping people in low pay, unreliable hours and underemployment".
BBC News
Council turns to B&Bs to house homeless for first time in years
A Falkirk Council report has heard that the council has turned to B&B accommodation for homeless people for the first time in a decade, thanks to steady increases in the number of people reporting as homeless in recent years, and to pressure on accommodation in the council area. The report revealed that people are waiting an average of 311 days to secure permanent housing from the point they first make a homeless application, with 30 people currently in emergency B&B accommodation. Head of housing Kenny Gillespie said the council is trying to tackle the cause of homelessness: "We are doing more early intervention interviews. We're providing better housing advice, more quickly. We're also offering family support and mediation because a lot was about breakdowns in relations."
The Daily Record
LEISURE & TOURISM
Visitors spent almost £1bn in Glasgow last year
New figures have revealed that Glasgow attracted 2.65m visitors last year, with those visitors staying for an average of three nights each and spending a combined total of £953m across the year. The figures were revealed ahead of the launch of the Glasgow 2030 Tourism Strategy later this month, with the strategy having been approved by Glasgow City Council in September. Bailie Annette Christie, chair of Glasgow Life, said the new strategy "will make sure tourism benefits and creates value for Glaswegians. Whether that's helping develop careers in the visitor economy, improving people's skills through volunteering at major events or simply providing the opportunity for people to enjoy the city's cultural life."
Glasgow Evening Times Herald Scotland
EDUCATION
Councillors back Fraserburgh school merger
Councillors on Aberdeenshire Council's education committee have unanimously backed plans for the Fraserburgh North and St Andrews primary schools to be merged into a new £18m school complex. Councillors heard that the merger, first proposed in 2014, would sidestep the need for "significant" upgrades at both existing buildings. A new two-storey school building with 14 classrooms, break-out learning spaces, a music and drama area, and other facilities, is proposed for Dennyduff Road.
The Press and Journal
LGIU@40: For the future of local government
This ongoing programme of work is based around three central themes - participation, trust and finance. We've spent the last few months working extensively with our members and the wider sector to develop a set of new ideas for how local government can work better, which will be published at the end of the year.
ELECTIONS
Campaigning intensifies ahead of key by-election
Campaigning in Rutherglen and Hamilton West has intensified ahead of Thursday's by-election - with Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie urging voters to "send our two failing governments a message by voting for a fresh start with Scottish Labour" and rejecting both the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives, and with Deputy First Minister Shona Robison arguing that an SNP victory "will send shockwaves through Westminster and make it clear that we reject their Brexit and austerity measures – both of which have caused untold damage to Scotland". Elsewhere, the Scottish Sun has reported that the a Police Scotland proposal, Project Quest, would see the constituency's three police stations - in Rutherglen, Cambuslang, and Blantyre - close as "proposed surplus stations".
Glasgow Evening Times Herald Scotland
Conservatives 'very confident' of gains at next election
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said he is "very confident" that the party "can hold on to the seats we currently have and make gains" at the next general election. Mr Ross, who is standing down at the election, noted that a recent by-election in South Ayrshire saw the party's share of the vote rise by 20%, and he argues that voters can "see in these seats where the Scottish Conservatives are the main challengers to the SNP, they want to ensure that the SNP are told how poorly they are running the country at the moment and how disastrous Humza Yousaf's leadership has been".
STV Glasgow Evening Times Herald Scotland
REGENERATION
Councils develop plans to use new towns funding
The Press and Journal looks at how Moray Council could make use of £20m of funding announced ahead of the Conservative Party conference - with the council already having drawn up plans for a town centre facelift, for which it failed to secure UK Government support last year. The council is expected to hold talks with the UK and Scottish Governments before a final decision is made on how the funding is used. Elsewhere, West Dunbartonshire Council Provost Cllr Douglas McAllister has said funding awarded to Clydebank will help the council "deliver on our ambitious masterplan for our town", including local transport improvements.
Glasgow Evening Times The Press and Journal
HOLYROOD
Holyrood has let down the Highlands, says Kate Forbes
In an interview with the Herald, SNP MSP Kate Forbes has argued that national Scottish Government policies have in the past failed to recognise "the specific and diverse needs of people who live in the Highlands". Ms Forbes touched on a number of policy areas, such as Highly Protected Marine Areas, which she linked with education policy. Fishermen, she said, care "more about sustainable fishing than most politicians and civil servants. They don’t just see it as a job. They see it as a multi-generational way of life. If there are no fish then their kids don’t have a future. And that’s why the language particularly used by fishermen around the island of Tiree was to equate HPMAs with education. If you ban fishing and I lose my job, then we have to leave and the school closes."
Herald Scotland The Press and Journal
NEW BRIEFING
Heath, public health, and social care round-up: September 2023
Round-up | 11-min read ⌛
The health, public health and social care round-up summarises new policy, research and publications that are relevant to elected members and officers interested in health and social care. It is intended to be a digested read and provides links to the source documentation of major reports for further consideration. The round-up is organised into the following categories:
- comments on significant development in September
- health and social care reform and finance
- public health
health and social care quality and practice.
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