Parents are to protest ASL proposals tomorrow at City Chambers amid a “climate of fear around cuts to services.”
In August, a paper was published to the Education, Children, and Families Committee proposing a multitude of savings proposals, including a controversial £4m cut to the inclusion budget. This includes the removal of a central ASL (Additional Support for Learning) service, which has angered parents across Edinburgh.
Edinburgh City Council Chamber. Credit: PA Media
Parents and teachers hope that Edinburgh City Council will commit to not moving forward with any cuts or restructuring of the ASL service at the Education, Children, and Families Committee meeting on 21st November.
Kim, a parent of an autistic child who relies on ASL for access to education is one of the parents going to speak to the committee tomorrow. Kim plans to open her plea to the councillors to share her personal situation, and how any cuts would be detrimental to her family, as well as many others in this situation.
“Many can’t be here to tell their story, but it is essential parents’ and children’s voices are heard”, Kim says “This is our lives”.
Graham Anderson, the chair of Tollcross Primary School Parent Council, is another concerned local appealing to the council for “a complete rethink of these proposals”.
He criticises the council’s lack of effort to engage with vulnerable groups who will be affected by the proposals, as well as an absence of communication with parents of additional support needs (ASN) children.
Graham argues that the council’s proposals have no clearly stated rationale, and will only increase inequity in the city and undermine social mobility.
“It is clear that the inclusion Review embodies a cost-cutting exercise which will have a lasting negative impact on our children’s education and disproportionately impact children with disabilities and those from minority ethnic backgrounds”, Graham said.
The council has maintained that there are no savings proposals planned after opposition councillors and parents have objected to the potential cuts.
However, they have previously said that the inclusion review “will support the delivery of a longer-term £4 million saving” including cutting approximately 130 specialist roles in the ASL service.
Euan Hyslop, an SNP councillor on the Education, Children, and Families Committee said “It’s a mess” having parents and teachers alike left in the dark about the future of ASL.
Euan adds that this “is an ongoing battle between Labour in Edinburgh and parents of children with additional support needs”.
“Children and young people with additional support needs have been on the receiving end of proposed cuts to the services they rely on for the last two years under this current Labour Administration” Hyslop said.
This comes after Labour lost a key by-election last week, with the Liberal Democrats winning a surprise victory in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward. The loss has ignited calls by the SNP for Labour to relinquish control of Edinburgh city council.
Labour ousted the SNP from leading the council in 2022 after forming an alliance with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. However, the SNP remain the largest party, with 18 councillors, compared to Labour who now have 11 councillors.
SNP group leader SImita Kumar has called on Cammy Day, the Labour Council leader, to resign after the by-election defeat.