Councils agree to seek meeting with Government over pay deals and bin strikes

Speaking after today’s COSLA meeting at which representatives of Scotland’s councils agreed to seek a meeting with the Scottish government to ask for more money in an effort to avoid strikes by bin workers, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Group on COSLA, Cllr Peter Barrett, said:

“The SNP Government need to bring something meaningful to the table. COSLA have made the best offer that councils can afford. Council budgets are stretched as far as they can go and the current offer is at the limit of affordability.

"Two years ago rubbish was allowed to pile up in the street while the Scottish Government stuck to the line that there was nothing they could do. Eventually they crumbled and hammered out a deal. This time they should skip the posturing and go straight to the solution.  We need them to come up with the goods and the money to fully fund any improved offer.  

“The unions need to be reasonable too. They are not the only public sector workers who need a pay rise.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for long term funding deals for local councils so that they can invest for the future and avoid the threat of strikes popping up every year.”