Plans to supply free iPads to people who find themselves “digitally excluded” have been axed in order that the cash might be funneled right into a plans to fund new council pay offers.
The challenge was initially arrange through the COVID pandemic has handed out greater than 61,000 iPads and Chromebooks to individuals who would in any other case not have entry to the web world. Nonetheless, a brand new report explains that Finance Secretary Shona Robison has mentioned that the plans to ditch the Connecting Scotland digital units program will assist save £10 million.
This transfer comes after ministers provided council employees a brand new deal that might see them obtain an additional £77.5 million and cancel plans for strikes.
No iPad for you
Whereas it is uncertain that the iPads handed out can be the most recent M4 iPad Professional, there isn’t any doubt that there’s the potential for financial savings right here. However iPads aren’t the one means financial savings will probably be made. The BBC Scotland experiences additionally notes {that a} additional £2 million will probably be gained by altering plans for prolonged college meals whereas £26 million will probably be diverted from a program that sought to cope with potential flood dangers.
The finance secretary mentioned diverting the funding was “not a call we have now taken calmly,” the BBC experiences. Unions are nonetheless contemplating the brand new proposals and it is unclear whether or not the cuts will probably be sufficient to keep away from employee strikes.
