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Ministers deny council pact at risk over school meals



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Published Date: 10 October 2008
THE Scottish Government denies its "historic" concordat with councils is on the verge of falling apart over the issue of providing free school meals.
SNP ministers and many councils have clashed over whether the meals should go to all children in P1 to P3 classes.

An emergency meeting of the leaders of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) is to discuss the issue.

As reported yesterday in The Scotsman, Cosla president Pat Watters has backed the Scottish Government, saying that if councils renege on their promise of providing free school meals, it will show they cannot be trusted to have ring-fencing removed from their budgets.

However, councils, including those run by SNP coalitions, say they do not have the money to provide the meals and point out the only obligation in the concordat was to freeze council tax.

One senior Cosla figure said there was almost nothing the emergency meeting could achieve.

A source close to the First Minister, Alex Salmond, insisted the concordat remained strong and that councils were expected to fulfil the promise they made to provide free school meals.





The full article contains 193 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 09 October 2008 9:32 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Grahamski,

Falkirk 10/10/2008 06:59:46
Mr Swinney blackmailed our LAs into accepting his historic con-trick. If Mr Swinney's party wants the credit for free lunches let them pay for it. It's only fair.
2

Finnzz,

10/10/2008 08:36:06
Looks like LAs don't know the meaning of a contract. In the last 10 years under Labour the notion of responsibility and accountability have been forgotten, and not only by the City.
The Scottish Government now needs to hold firm and remind these chancers that they are required to uphold their legal obligations that they agreed to under the Concordat.
3

Grahamski,

Falkirk 10/10/2008 08:53:10
2
What legal obligations have the LAs under the historic con-trick?
As far as I understand the councils aren't legally obliged to do anything other than freeze council tax for one year.
Where do you get the idea the whole con-trick is legally binding?
4

Linda,

Edinburgh 10/10/2008 09:13:28
Another misleading and biased story from Scotsman.

SNP led Fife Council areimplementing the free school meals and the administration has INCREASED the education budget from the £247.4 million inherited from
Labour for 2007/08 to £272.2 million for 2008/09 – a rise of over 10 per cent.


Or read letter from West Lothian Council leader in Herald this morning. Also Gramamski must know Labour run Falkirk agreed with Government and COSLA that there is money to implement this under the Concordat. Labour's spokesperson on the subject Karen Whitefield made an ass of herself in Parliament yesterday.
5

Gdgy,

dndy 10/10/2008 09:29:39
They promise more police BUT no more money

They promise smaller class sizes BUT no more money

They promise to save A&Es but no more money

WE KNOW that the SNP can't count but we can...what is going to be cut to get the "free" school meals???
6

ochone,

Sauchie, Clack's 10/10/2008 14:01:48
From the concordat that the local councils agreed to, presumably after they had read it.

From the foreword:


• That local authorities agree to deliver on a specified set of commitments from within the funding envelope provided.

From the section on school meals:

• Free school meals – Providing nutritious free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils in the pilot areas until the end of the current academic year (ie up to June 2008). The remainder of 2008-09 will be taken up with evaluation of the trials. In 2009-10, provided the evaluation of the trials is positive, legislation will be introduced to allow extension of the nutritious free school meals to all pupils in P1 to P3. Assuming the legislation is passed, local authorities will provide free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010.

No con, and the money, as Pat Watters attests to, was provided.

What's not to understand for those who are honest and are not looking for ammunition to help prevent them loose another by election.

But to use food for kids, that is a new low even for some unionists!
7

Poetess50,

10/10/2008 20:13:29
I truly hope I don't have to pay for these free lunches. I don't have kids, so why must I provide free lunch for someone's child???
8

Westfield Bairns,

falkirk 11/10/2008 01:29:22
Councils have been given the money stop whingeing and implement it

 

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