A FUNDING crisis in Scotland’s capital is hampering services for thousands of vulnerable people and damaging morale among staff, according to a new report.

Overcrowded jails are making Scotland a more dangerous place, the chief inspector of prisons has said.

UNIONS representing 200,000 local government workers in Scotland yesterday rejected a 2.5 per cent pay deal.

The offer from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) would have give a rise of 2.5 per cent for each of the next three years.

The three unions – Unison, the GMB and Unite – had tabled a claim for a one-year deal for a rise of a rise of £1,000 or 5 per cent, whichever was greater.

Officials of the unions said they were rejecting the deal and would use a consultation exercise to call on their members working in local government to follow suit.

Dougie Black, of Unison, said: “There is a great deal of anger at the employers’ insistence on a three-year deal and their continuing refusal to agree a clause linked to inflation.

“The offer is already less than inflation. Councillors should be aware that our members are serious about this offer being unacceptable.

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to try to protect workers from having to take time off because of mental health problems.

The fast-expanding nursing business owned by one of Scotland’s leading female entrepreneurs has slipped into a loss after the NHS cut back on its use of agency nurses.

However, founder Ann Rushforth yesterday said her Dunbartonshire-based ScotNursing business was operating profitably again in its current financial year.

“The size of our nursing market is much smaller than it was a few years ago because the NHS is doing more and more in-house, although I would say that situation has now stabilised,” she said.

“But, at the same time, the domiciliary care side of the business is growing extremely fast, as is our occupational health business. We now provide health MOTs, dare I say it, the way BUPA does for company employees. This is beneficial to companies and the workers.

“The homecare part of business is, I would say, challenging but profitable. It seems to be what people want as an alternative to residential home care, particularly for the elderly and the severely disabled.”

Nurses and other NHS staff were yesterday offered a pay deal worth 8% over three years in one of the biggest recent public sector wage deals.

Scotland should open a debate over whether the latest medicines should be prioritised for younger patients over the elderly, the head of Scotland’s drug watchdog believes.

Plans to increase provision for primary school children with autism have been announced by South Lanarkshire Council. The decision followed a year-long campaign for specialist support in Rutherglen and Cambuslang.

AN ESTIMATED 2,000 people marched through the centre of Aberdeen on Saturday in protest at massive cuts in council services.

A £27m reduction in council spending has hit schools, sports facilities and services for the disabled.

Members of the SNP-LibDem administration who attended the rally were jeered as they attempted to pin the blame on the previous administration.

Among the groups demonstrating was homelessness charity Aberdeen Cyrenians, which says that a £900,000 budget cut means it has to sack a quarter of its staff.

Aberdeen Ice Hockey Club was also protesting about the closure of the city’s ice rink.

The leader of Aberdeen Council, Lib Dem councillor Kate Dean, said: “We would not have had to make these cuts if we had a fairer funding settlement from the Government for Aberdeen – we need the funding formula changed.

Thousands of Scots carers have been forced to give up their jobs as a legal anomaly leaves them with fewer safeguards than their counterparts south of the border.