Nearly 6,000 council jobs could be axed after years of 'SNP Government neglect'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A leaked dossier has predicted nearly 6,000 job losses in Scots councils in the next few years. The damning paper shows that individual councils are also facing funding black holes of up to £119m, which could lead to cuts to vital services.

Labour MSP Mark Griffin said: “Years of raiding council budgets has left social work on its knees, roads crumbling, libraries closing, and bins overflowing.“We are all paying the price with cutbacks in services, but it is tragic and unforgivable that 6000 people will now be out of work due to the SNP’s failures.” Councils have bitterly complained about the impact of Scottish Government funding settlements on local services.

They are in line for a funding freeze while also also having to pay for wage rises for staff.According to the paper seen by the Record, COSLA surveyed councils on funding pressures and what it would mean.In the current year, 26 of the 29 councils reported funding gaps, ranging from £1m to £47m, with pressures arising from pay awards coming to £130m.Councils are also estimating black holes of between £5m and £119m next year.Cost of living pressures, such as soaring energy prices, will add more than £324m to the bills of councils.It noted that any shortfall will have a “clear impact on jobs and services”.Eighteen councils predicted job losses, while nine local authorities expected a headcount reduction of 5,872 by 2026.The paper warned that the 5,872 figure may only be a third of projected job losses, which if true could take the real figure to 17,616.It added: “16 councils also anticipate future cuts to services.”Griffin blasted: “The SNP have gutted local government with their campaign of cuts and centralisation.“Over 6 billion pounds has been cut from Scottish