August is meant to be the month in which Edinburgh showcases its internationally renowned festival to the world. But tourists flocking to the capital will be disgusted by the filthy mess they have encountered due to a bin workers’ strike.
Overflowing bins, litter-strewn streets and vermin have become standard viewing over the last few days. A failure by council bosses and trade unions to reach a pay deal means that what is happening in Edinburgh is coming to a street near you.
Strike action will be rolled out in other council areas today – with residents and businesses having to hold their noses. The Scottish Government, which has underfunded councils for years, is squarely to blame for this fiasco.
Ministers have snubbed local authorities in successive budgets while at the same time expecting them to make pay offers they cannot afford. Councils meeting the expectations of unions without the necessary funding leads to job losses and service cuts.
And while it was welcome that ministers found extra cash to help councils offer staff a five per cent rise, it is not enough. The Scottish Government must dig deeper so that low income workers become the main beneficiaries of any council pay deal that is struck.
Nicola Sturgeon has rightly criticised the UK Government for short changing her administration in recent years. The irony is her government has done exactly the same for Scotland’s councils.
Energy disaster
Faced with a staggering rise in energy bills, it is clear that the incoming prime minister is going to have to do something very quickly to stave off a disaster. Scottish Power, one of the UK’s largest power companies, has an ambitious plan.
It is proposing a £100billion account to freeze energy bills for two years with a national fund, or credit account, which would be paid off when prices settle again. The scheme has two advantages. It freezes bills now, which could be the difference between destitution and desperation for many this winter.
It also buys time to decide, politically, who and how the unprecedented energy surge should be paid for. A bigger windfall tax on the massive profits of energy companies, a rise in everyone’s taxes or a surcharge on future bills?
We know what most Scots would choose but unfortunately for us, Liz Truss, the likely PM, has ruled out the first two options.
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