There's huge enthusiasm in many councils to get on with it and the ones that are kicking up a fuss are doing it for political reasons ... It's a case of the Labour Party quite literally wanting to take food out of the mouths of children and I don't think the public is going to stand for it.Iain Gray’s rather obvious reply:
It is clear that 50% of councils say they can't afford this policy without extra funds including four councils with SNP members as part of the leadership. His misguided attack on Labour shows his desperation in trying to dodge the blame for his government's education failures. Does he think that SNP-controlled Stirling Council is stealing food from the mouths of our children? Does he think that SNP councillors on City of Edinburgh Council are stealing food from our children?Quite. And what now for the SNP’s “historic” concordat? Suddenly that adjective seems almost prescient, given the very real possibility of the deal being consigned to the proverbial dustbin.
• Courier: “Free school meals plan threatens deal”
• Times: “SNP deal with councils in turmoil over free school meals”
• Telegraph: “Scottish councils to call for scrapping of Alex Salmond's 'historic' concordat”
• Scotsman: “Ministers deny council pact at risk over school meals”
Things must be worse than I thought if they’ve actually got to the stage of denying reality.
Dash, I'd just spent my last few pennies buying some of Iceland. I would have helped if I could have!
Surely you have pointing out the fact that the head of COSLA quite correctly made the point that Councils happily signed up to this viewing it as a wonderful arrangement at the time (including providing free school meals!) and if they back out they will not be seen as trustworthy.
Oh wait you haven't!
BSH: The Herald link in the first line of the article featured Watters insisting that the concordat was still on track. But it now appears that councils think they can make the case that the only real obligation on them was to freeze council tax.
Denying reality and denying Labour press releases are not the same thing. Labour have been saying that SNP led councils are unable to introduce free school meals without additional funding. That is absolutely untrue. Every single SNP run council has said that it will introduce the policy.
There only seem to be a couple of councils which have actually said they will have difficulties. Articles like Alan Cochrane's which claim half of councils are 'rebelling' are based on nothing more than a Labour press release. And those press releases are based on not a lot. When a political party's press release states 'It is clear that ...' it usually means as mud. The SNP should know - they played all the same tricks Labour are trying to play now when they were in opposition. They were just a bit better at it.
Likewise there is no basis to the suggestions that the concordat is under threat never mind headlines such as 'Scottish councils to call for scrapping of Alex Salmond's 'historic' concordat.'
No council has called for that or will call for that. The senior source quoted in the Telegraph story says: "Since the concordat was signed, energy prices have gone through the roof, adding millions of pounds to all our budgets.
"We cannot expect to deliver old promises on old money. If you scrap ring-fencing, as Scottish ministers have, then you have to accept that councils have the freedom to spend their money as they will."
That is a totally fair point and I expect that COSLA along with national government will go back and look at what was agreed and decide what should be kept in light of changed circumstances.
But there is absolutely nothing in that quote that indicates a moving away from the concordat - the opposite in fact. Because if you scrap the concordat you scrap the commitment to end ring fencing right along with it. And then John Swinney decides how councils spend their budget, not councillors.
COSLA just out out a statement after meeting.
Pat Watters (Labour councillor) commented as follows:
"This is not a re-negotiation it is an implementation of an existing provision within the Concordat. The COSLA statement is entirely clear that local government is committed to implementing the free school meals policy using the resources made available in the Concordat, and no-one is at liberty to misquote or misinterpret that position. Local and central government talking with each other about delivering our shared objectives is the Concordat in action – any suggestion to the contrary about the future of the Concordat is wilful misunderstanding."
Not quite sure what he means by saying that 'no-one is at liberty to misquote or misinterpret that position' because how can he stop them?
However I am sure you would not wilfully misundestand the position ..... would you?
Indy
Given the manner in which you distorted my position in yesterday's sharia thread your little rhetorical smear is frankly rich!
I Googled your quote but couldn't find it. I'll assume it's correct, although it's very peculiar that Pat Watters should seem to be accusing the political editor of the Courier and Scottish political editor of the Telegraph and Times of "wilful misunderstanding".
Not to mention people like Barrie Lawrie, the director of finance and resources at the SNP-led Fife Council, who said that “the current budget does not include costs associated with the introduction of free school meals”.
Here's the statement published today on COSLA's website:
“On the provision of Free School Meals COSLA negotiated the Concordat which included a commitment to a phased and planned roll out of free school meals provision to Primary 1-3. Resources were provided within the settlement for this commitment and COSLA remains committed to this policy using the resources made available.
“The Concordat makes it clear that this policy would be pursued following an evaluation of the 5 pilots. That evaluation has now been discussed with COSLA and the Executive Group & Spokesperson are raising a number of issues with Government that have to be discussed over the remainder of the 2008/09 school year in order to secure the smooth implementation of the policy.
“In common with all other local government provision this policy is now taking place in a very changed financial and economic environment. COSLA will be making use of the commitment in the Concordat which provides a mechanism for joint discussions with our partners in Government regarding the local government settlement to decide how we jointly respond to emerging and exceptional funding pressures.”
That's about as nuanced as COSLA has been, of late. At least they acknowledge an issue with this.
Scottish Unionist.
For God's sake of course the current budget of Fife Council does not include the costs of free school meals for P1-P3 because they are not to be introduced until 2010.
These kinds of tricks are just pathetic.
Fife Council is completely committed to implementing the policy.