West Lothian Council's Chief Executive has hit back at claims on social media by a local MSP that extra Holyrood funding has not been spent on teachers.
On the day that the council's Education PDSP debated proposed cuts in teaching staff, Fiona Hyslop said on her social media that the council had only recruited 29 teachers by December, having been given an additional £5m by the Scottish Government last year.
The post prompted an angry response from West Lothian's Labour group which leads the minority-run council, as well from senior council officers.
Mrs Hyslop said on her Facebook post: "West Lothian Council received £5.526m and that should have seen them able to recruit around 100 more teachers but official statistics published in December show that they only recruited 29 more.
"I have written to the Labour/Conservative run West Lothian Council to ask why they have failed to recruit these extra teachers and to assure me that they will use this additional £5.526m - which is also available in 2023-2024 - to recruit more teachers as was agreed and originally intended."
A council spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service Mrs Hyslop had made a "completely inaccurate allegation"
But Mrs Hyslop insisted her concerns over teacher recruitment were shared by trade unions and said the council had to explain in full how the funding had been used, adding: "Parents, pupils and teachers and the public need transparency and accountability for the Council."
In response to the social media post, a council spokesman said: "It has been explained to local MSPs that this funding has been allocated in full to provide an additional 83.41 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers and 19.81 FTE pupil support workers in 2022/23. This amount has therefore already been used in full and we'd like to make that point very clear.
"It is simply not the case that the council has failed to recruit these extra teachers."
West Lothian's Chief Executive Graham Hope said: "We have been honest and upfront on the extremely challenging financial position that we face.
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"Nobody wants to have to make reductions to local services but, by law, the council must set a balanced budget. We are faced with reducing some services so that the council is financially sustainable in the years ahead, and that we meet our statutory responsibility to set a balanced budget each year."
"Attainment in West Lothian has risen year on year and we have had a decade of continued achievement for West Lothian schools in terms of exam results and investment in school buildings. We believe that we are well placed to make key decisions that impact on West Lothian's schools and ensure we achieve continuous improvement."
Council, and Labour group leader, Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick said in a statement from the Labour group : "What we have here is another disastrous intervention from the Scottish Government and more disingenuous and irresponsible behaviour from local SNP politicians.
"The fact is that I invited the local MSPs - including Ms Hyslop - to meet with me and senior officers today, [Tuesday] and it was made very clear to them by senior council officers that this funding has been allocated.
"To publicly suggest that this is not the case and that the council has failed to recruit more teachers is factually incorrect and proves that senior elected SNP politicians are simply misleading the West Lothian public - the very people they are here to serve."
Councillor Fitzpatrick suggested the local SNP was " making things up as they go along" and added: "Is it not about time the SNP MSPs - who are elected to serve and protect local services - step into the real world and accept the facts. They should be upfront with the people they serve and speak to their Cabinet Ministers and their First Minister to at least make an attempt to help us save local services."
Asked anout the response of the council however, Mrs Hyslop insisted she "still had concerns" about the use fo the funds - and warned it should not have been used to "backfill" teaching posts
She said: "Despite a reply from West Lothian Council and a meeting with Labour Council leader Cllr Lawrence Fitzpatrick and senior officials only this week, I am still seriously concerned that the £5.256m from the Scottish Government in 2022/23 has not been used to recruit new additional teachers.
"It would appear from responses that I have received this week from the Council that Scottish Government additional funding to recruit additional teaching staff has instead been used to back-fill Council education budgets for existing staff as there are only 29 additional new teachers in our classrooms this last year from official figures rather than the 100 or so the Government funding provided for.
"I understand Trades Unions share these concerns.
"Offering existing fixed term contract teachers permanent posts is welcome but it does not actually grow the number of teachers Councils agreed to do when they received the £5.256m to close the attainment gap and provide more learning time with teachers for pupils.
"I am still calling on the Council to explain how the savings from the fixed term teaching contracts have been used and whether they have been used within the education budgets. If this is provided to Headteachers to use in our schools they can recruit more, even fixed term, contract teachers now the Government has covered the move to permanent posts for existing teaching staff.
"Parents, pupils and teachers and the public need transparency and accountability for the Council."
