Politics: Closing out-of-school care will leave families with difficult decisions

The Tory-led administration at Aberdeenshire Council earlier this month announced plans to close provided out-of-school care by July this year.

Since then, a number of very concerned parents have been in touch with my office to express their very real worries about this decision – which is expected to impact hundreds of families.

I’ve written to Aberdeenshire Council’s Chief Executive Jim Savege and called for further information on what assistance is going to be provided in light of the decision.

This is a vital, lifeline service and at a time when inflation has eaten into household budgets, many families have no option but for both parents to work – and ending all out of school care provision in the current climate couldn’t come at a worse possible time.

It is clear the current administration are set on pressing ahead with this policy but I have written to the council to ascertain whether any efforts were made to retain the service on a sustainable basis, and whether an integrated impact assessment was carried out to indicate the effect on the families who rely so heavily on these services.

The decision will impact 15 of Aberdeenshire’s 146 primary schools with the local authority blaming a decrease in demand as well as staffing and budget pressures. The service is used by a total of 350 children.

This means many parents will face difficult decisions around juggling childcare and work and many parents will be sadly faced with no alternative to fill the gap.

I will continue to raise concerns about this decision and the impact it will have on working parents.

The Scottish Government has recently issued a new round of funding with 21 schools across the country to be awarded a share of £200,000 from the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF).

I was delighted that one of the schools chosen this year was Meldrum Academy, which will received £11,180 for a project on Tackling Discrimination and Fostering Empathy.

School libraries play a key role in our efforts to further boost literacy and continue improving attainment, but they are also places where positive values can be developed and celebrated.

Projects supported by this funding will help young people to understand the harmful consequences of racism and ensure they feel empowered to challenge discrimination.

School libraries are a vital resource, and all children should have access to the opportunities they provide.

This funding will help ensure that young people from all backgrounds feel the full benefits.

Finally, I was delighted to be named as Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work by the First Minister Humza Yousaf in a mini reshuffle shortly before the February recess.

There is lots of work to do in these vital areas and I am keen to get stuck in and continue the hard work in such a pivotal role as a north-easter and for Scotland as a whole.