Shaping our Future a programme for change Paper B The 2017 public consultation on Midlothian Council’s savings proposals Individual comments received from residents and joint responses received from residents, businesses, community groups and other organisations February 2018 Midlothian Council Shaping our Future consultation www.midlothian.gov.uk/shapingourfuture October - December 2017 Paper B* Individual comments received from residents and joint responses received from residents, businesses and community groups * Supplementary paper to ‘Paper A: Summary findings of the 2017 public consultation on Midlothian Council’s savings proposals’. Please note that page 3 also contains references to a number of written submissions which have had to be scanned, the contents of which are not included in the main body of this report. These documents (Appendices 1 and 2 to Paper B) are available on the council’s websit eat www.midlothian.gov.uk/shapingourfuture and should be read in conjunction with this paper (B). Contents Page No. Individual responses by service area (No. of comments received) Education (219) 5 Health and social care (17) 39 Children’s services (16) 40 Property and facilities management (99) 42 Finance and support services/ general budget issues and responses (139) 48 Street cleaning, waste collection and disposal (247) 76 Roads maintenance and street lighting (88) 102 Communities and economic development (80) 109 Sport and leisure (81) 120 Travel, transport, parking, school crossings (140) 127 Parks and open spaces (97) 148 Environmental health and trading standards (26) 155 Town centres/ town and village impact (24) 157 Planning and building standards (5) 162 Council Tax (56) 165 Community safety/ CCTV (38) 170 Housing and homelessness (28) 172 Revenues and benefits (9) 174 Libraries (194) 175 Income generation/ money saving (109) 202 Staffing/ management/ councillors (107) 211 2 Group responses Loanhead Children’s Sports and Gala Day Association 220 Artlink Midlothian 230 Committees of Penicuik in the Park, Penicuik Hunter and Lass, and Penicuik on Parade 231 King’s Park Primary School Parent Council 233 Black Diamond FM 235 Newbattle Community Education Centre Management Committee 236 People First Groups in Midlothian 237 Eskbank & Newbattle Community Council (ENCC) 238 Pathhead & District Community Association 243 Danderhall Playgroup 244 Literature Alliance Scotland 246 Bonnyrigg and Lasswade Community Council 247 Midlothian Voluntary Sector Forum 248 Women for Independence Midlothian 249 Lasswade High School Parent Council 251 Tynewater Primary School Parent Council 254 Loanhead and District Community Council 256 Passenger Transport, Scottish Borders Council 258 Newbattle Community High School response to Midlothian Council’s 2017 259 Budget Proposal to charge for instrumental music lessons VOCAL – Voice of carers across Lothian 260 Roslin and Bilston Community Council 262 Carers Action Midlothian (CAM) 268 Midlothian Federation of Community Councils 269 Cuiken Parent Council 271 Scottish Library Information Council 271 Melville Golf Centre (see scanned document in Appendix 2) 273 Response from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (see scanned document in Appendix 2) 273 The Church of Scotland – Presbytery of Lothian (see scanned document in Appendix 2) 273 Forward MID (see scanned document in Appendix 2) 273 Comments of Penicuik Athletic (see scanned document in Appendix 2) 273 Unison’s Budget Proposal 273 3 Petitions 274 Removal of School Crossing Service – residents of Mayfield and nearby areas 274 Keep Danderhall and other Community Libraries Open 275 Libraries Online Petition 275 Music Tuition Online Petition 277 Community Engagement Meetings Meeting 1 - 6 November 2017 281 Meeting 2 - 7 November 2017 286 Meeting 3 - 8 November 2017 291 Meeting 4 - 13 November 2017 294 Meeting 5 - 14 November 2017 298 Young People Consultations 302 29 November 2017 Meeting 1 - Pathways 302 Meeting 2- Secondary Schools 303 Scanned written submissions from individuals (available on the council’s website) 306 4 Education 1. Reduction of Early Intervention & Prevention Services (a reduction of 4 Children and Family Practitioner posts)..... you are having a laugh. Our most vulnerable children need more supports not less 2. GIRFEC what happened to Getting It Right For Each Child....with more learning assistant cuts and more children with additional/specific needs coming into mainstream education, how will they realistically expect teachers to meet all the children's needs. 3. Almost 2,000 people have already signed this petition to say no to cutting funding for music tuition. https://www.change.org/.../janet-lay-douglas-midlothian... 4. Education, Classroom Learning Assistants - Reduce Learning Assistants budget by 10% over all. " To reduce the universal learning assistants budget by 10% . This equates to 12 learning assistants.." Totally unacceptable - Midlothian schools are, and have been for a long time, unable to cope with children who have additional support needs (Autism, emotional difficulties, Downs Syndrome, developmental delays, Dyspraxia etc..) due to a serious lack of Learning Assistants. I have had first hand experience of this. Children are not attending school, being excluded, parents are suffering too because there is simply no one there in school to attend to or support them. I have had a Head teacher say to me “I have run out of ideas and do not know what to do with (child's name)." I have seen children spend their school days, over the period of a year or more, in the medical room on their own because there was no one to be with them and their class teacher had to get on with attending to the rest of the class pupils. I've seen children spend their school days in the care of the school janitor, day after day, due to lack of staff. This proposed cut is insane. 5. Reduce Learning Assistance - I am a parent of two Primary children and having spoken to teachers it is blatantly obvious that they require more not LESS support in class to deal with the numerous issues they face. Why else would teachers frequently have to ask if any parents are available to help out in class ?? Teachers do a fantastic job in raising our next generation of responsible citizens, we should be helping them not hindering them. Appalled. 6. Charging for Instrumental Tuition - This should be a right for children to experience alongside the traditional subjects of maths, English, science etc. Imaging your child struggled in school but had a gift for music but this couldn't be afforded by the parents/carers ?? Just like sport, Music can open doors to a whole world of experiences for children both academically and socially and I have seen myself how music can give a child confidence and self-esteem where they might otherwise not have any. 7. Reduction of learning assistants: I feel very strongly that if Scotland is going to improve standards of education, then maintaining or increasing the resources applied to the education sector is absolutely critical. You’re proposing to cut it. Scotland has a worldwide reputation for a wonderful education system. It’s a myth, a complete fallacy. Clearly no Council appears to be in a position to employ more teachers and reduce class sizes (despite Nicola Sturgeon’s ongoing grand promise). But the role of learning assistants is at least a step in the right direction. 5 8. My views on saving the council money, I think they should cut any expenses given to head teachers and staff for food allowances in schools as they earn enough to get their own, and stop giving overtime to supervisors to come in and cover holidays in the Costa cafes when the cafe should just be closed at an earlier time in advance on school holidays. 9. I write to express my concern at the proposed rent increase for the after school clubs of 5% to 50% of the full rent. As a single parent I rely on the after school service to enable me to work full time, if the rent is increased so steeply then this will inevitably result in either closure of the service or highly increased rates. My son is only 5 so I see myself utilising the service for some years yet if it were to continue, without it however I would be unable to work full time and, if working part time would have to rely on housing benefit top ups to pay my rent and council tax. I appreciate cuts have to be made but, as I cannot be the only single parent who would find themselves in this position, should the service rates increase dramatically or the provision have to close it may be that as much revenue is lost to housing benefit assistance than is gained by the potential increase in rent. 10. After School Clubs, it seems outrageous to expect a 50% increase in charges, this would have to be done on a sliding scale, so that the children most at risk were getting the care they need. Not every household is a 2 wage one. Everyone is on a budget. 11. I agree with most of the proposals but believe the following should not happen - increase in school meals. Often the only hot and healthy meal a child gets. Already expensive - a lot of people would be better off financially by quitting work and going on benefits to get this free. 12. "Education" is vital to the future of Midlothian and cannot be decimated as proposed. 13. Personally I am very concerned with the proposed cuts to education because I think they will impact very severely on families who depend on those services 14. I think cuts in learning assistants is extremely short sighted. Children who need additional support can only divert the teachers time and resources. How can those with additional support needs hope to become valuable citizens if education at the appropriate time is not provided.