Scottish groups braced for cuts

Youth organisations in Scotland face substantial cuts as they grapple with reductions in public spending.

The youth and social care charity Quarriers issued 90 days’ notices to all of its 2,000 staff at the end of last month as part of a move to cut its staffing budget by £2.5m.

The Cora Foundation, a voluntary organisation that runs three secure units for young people, issued letters to hundreds of workers warning them of possible redundancy, according to the union Unison. The union also said that youth justice charity Includem has told staff to take a 9.5 per cent pay cut.

Simon Macfarlane, regional organiser for Unison, said: “We’re calling on Scotland’s political parties to prioritise putting a stop to these outrageous cuts.”

Paul Moore, chief executive of Quarriers, said: “The proposed changes are designed to protect jobs and services.”