For Argyll

Talk about trapped in amber. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) is not the sharpest on the communications front. A visit to the ‘News Room’ on their website this morning found a single item on the long and still running Scottish local authority pay dispute - dated 19 August 2008. Ironically, the item was trumpeting Cosla’s rejection of accusations that it had been slow to react. Case proved?

But there is a further delight. If you click on ‘Press Releases’ you are promised an archive of ‘older’ stories. How old is old? The ‘latest’ story is growing whiskers already.

Presumably someone is paid to run this ’service’ - and doesn’t realise that ‘old news’ is a contradiction in terms?

Cosla represents all of Scotland’s local authorities. They are involved collectively in a long running dispute with employees over pay. This dispute has seen everyday life throughout Scotland disrupted by several one-day strikes, with more industrial action promised if agreement is not reached. Scotland needs new news on this as soon as - and the internet is the soonest of them all.

This dispute affects everyone in the country. Presumably it matters to the local authorities represented by Cosla that their case and their stance on changing circumstances is speedily in the public domain?

With a slow lead-time like this, it is hardy surprising that Cosla’s online news has not yet caught up with the big financial story of the hundreds of millions of pounds invested in Icelandic banks by Scottish local authorities. Yet this very day Council Chiefs involved are meeting in Edinburgh to discuss the impact on their finances and service provision of the failure of these banks - Landsbanki, Heritable (a Landsbanki subsidiary) and Glitnir.

(1.30pm) This meeting has now ended and Pat Watters, Cosla President, has said on television that the decision has been to write to UK Chancellor Alastair Darling and to Scottish Government Finance Secretary John Swinney asking for Scottish Local Authority representation in any national discussions on this problem.

See our report on the current position on relevant Scottish local authority investments.