Chamber and committees

Do you want to comment, Gerry?

Thanks, convener, and thank you for that answer, Sean. Scottish councils have failed to recruit workers for one in four jobs overall, and we have heard from all three witnesses that underfunding is the biggest challenge that local government is facing. Funding is being cut to the bone and that is leading to cutbacks in service provision as well as strikes over pay and conditions. It is obviously becoming increasingly difficult to make those jobs look attractive. Are they more unattractive, especially in relation to job security, to people who are looking for jobs? What impact is that having on skills shortages and on local government’s ability to deliver on its priorities?

Does Johanna Baxter want to respond?

Thank you, Johanna. I absolutely agree with you. The officers were brilliant, to be honest. They were really trying to make good of a difficult situation. It was a public meeting, so that is why I am speaking about it today. It was important that, as an elected member, I stepped in to chair to help. I am just saying that it is sometimes not the council officers’ fault. You are absolutely right that they had to deal with a difficult situation because they did not have that diverse workforce.

Is there anything that Sean Baillie or Linda Somerville would like to add, not about the case but about how we better serve our diverse communities? We have people coming in—refugees and asylum seekers—as well as people who are living here and who were born here, so how do we understand their cultures and how to deliver the right service, so that we do not offend them but help them?

You say that the issue needs to be explored a lot more. Given strikes, underpayment and the conditions of underfunding, how can local government jobs become less unattractive? That question might be for Johanna Baxter. This concerns job security—people want certainty. Given that people know that all this is happening out there, will they apply for a local government job or a private sector job? What is more secure?

Do I have time to ask quick follow-up question?

Okay. I was just saying that because of time. No worries.

In the past, the committee has heard about the disproportionate impact that the overall reduction in local authority personnel has had on council departments, particularly in planning and building standards. Upcoming legislation proposed by the SNP-Green Government, including the new build heat standard and the short-term lets licensing scheme, will undoubtedly lead to an influx of applications to such departments. Are the relevant departments adequately staffed and resourced to deal with an increase in workload without there being any adverse impact on other stakeholders?

Good morning. As the minister will probably know, the 2022 act has had unintended consequences for both tenants and landlords. We have heard from multiple organisations that landlords are increasing their rents between tenancies in order to cover their costs and anticipated costs due to fear of on-going rent controls.

In the 12 months to July 2023, private rental prices experienced their highest annual percentage change since 2012. Do you accept that the legislation is leaving landlords with no choice but to increase rents for new lets by more than they might have done had the legislation not been in place?

Good morning. I am a Conservative MSP for the West Scotland region and a committee member.

Ariane, I have declarations to make. Should I do so later on?

This is my other question, convener. Minister, you have just spoken about planning permission. Obviously, local authorities are under a lot of pressure. What impact do you anticipate that this workload will bring to bear on councils? Has an impact assessment been done on that workload? If councils are unable to keep up with the applications, what impact will that have on the implementation of the policy and, more broadly, on house building?