It’s no secret Scotland’s local authorities are short of cash.
The 32 councils across the country have extremely limited means of raising their own revenues, leaving them reliant on the Scottish Government for the majority of their funding.
No two local authority areas are the same, but the challenges facing councillors in Glasgow are daunting.
While small geographically, the city has areas of endemic poverty, rubbing shoulders with rich neighbourhoods.
The council must find a way of balancing a limited budget that pays for social care, schools, roads and myriad other services. They also have to manage and maintain museums and parks of national importance.
And then there’s bin collections – perhaps the one service that concerns locals more than any other.
Households consume more now than ever, meaning we all have more rubbish.
Cardboard boxes from Amazon deliveries, endless plastic drinks bottles, takeaway containers and general food waste pile up in record amounts.
Now, thousands of households have been told they won’t get their grey recycling bins collected over the entire festive period in the city.
Instead, council chiefs are keeping municipal dumps open longer so people can get rid of their own recycling waste.
The GMB union argues this is an unacceptable situation and it is difficult to disagree.
We must hope increased funding from the Scottish Government for councils in the recent Budget will help councils take care of core services like bin collections.
Otherwise our biggest city could end up resembling one big litter bin.
Cure for patients
BED blocking – or delayed discharge to give it the posh title – is one of the most wasteful aspects of the current crisis in the NHS.
Precious space in hospitals is being taken up by those who don’t need to be there, often for want of a proper care package which could see them go home.
For that reason, we have high hopes for the Scottish Government’s £100million Hospital at Home scheme.
It means hospitals aren’t able to take some patients as others who are well enough to go home are taking up beds.
A solution is long overdue but it is positive the government is investing £100million and say it is a “key priority”.
We hope Hospital at Home brings real results and that it has 2000 beds by the end of 2026. It would be a massive boost for all Scots if bed blocking is sorted.
It will free up capacity for other areas and help those who are unwell to get the treatment they need.
If done properly, it may be a key step to getting our NHS back on its feet.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletterhere.