Edinburgh Sucks! | COSLA screws up

COSLA

COSLA screws up - £6m

By The Basa ⋅ July 3, 2005 ⋅

What could be many hundreds of the country’s most vulnerable youngsters have been deprived of desperately needed extra cash as a result of a “scandalous” bureaucratic blunder by COSLA (The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).

We initially covered this story here when the dodgy First Minister went public and now it seems wrongly accused the Councils of the huge cock-up causing him severe embarrassment.

The bureaucratic muddle began after ministers farmed the project out to the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), the umbrella body for councils. Cosla officials were asked by ministers to select six initial pilot programmes for funding, but they refused, insisting they would not pick and choose between councils.

The flagship scheme then became lost in a blizzard of red tape. Cosla claims it contacted councils, inviting them to come forward with bids. But council chiefs last night said they had no knowledge of any such offer.

Regular readers of EdinburghSucks!com and citizens of Edinburgh will know COSLA because our self described ‘illiterate’ Councillor Ewan Aitken is not only in charge of Education for the city but also for COSLA.

David Alexander, the leader of Falkirk Council - which has more than 180 children in care - added: “When I heard Jack McConnell criticising us on the radio I immediately contacted our officials to find out why they hadn’t bid for the money. Then I discovered that we hadn’t even been contacted.”

I am sure that the blame will shift a few more times before it lands, but nobody seems to be mentioning the poor kinds who obviously required these funds. All the politicians seem to be worring about is covering their rear ends.

More Info: Children in care miss out on share of £6m windfall