This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Donald Dewar unveils education, childcare and transport priorities for the year ahead
23/04/1998
The Rt Hon Donald Dewar MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, today challenged local government to work with him as he set out the Government's priorities for Scotland for its second year in office. He also warned local government leaders that they must be prepared to modernise if they are to take part in the task of building the new Scotland.
Speaking at COSLA's annual conference in Aberdeen, Mr Dewar identified three priority areas for the months ahead: raising school standards, revolutionising childcare and renewing public transport. He announced that he is shortly to publish a Green Paper on transport, proposing new powers for local government to end gridlock in the cities and to tackle the collapse of rural transport.
The Secretary of State said:
"My message today is that of delivering on the people's priorities. The modernisation Scotland needs depends on local authority co-operation and your ability to rise to the challenge of change. These are my priorities as the government begins its second year:
· Changes in the classroom
· A revolution in Childcare
· A renewal of a public transport system to let our cities breath again, to restore to rural transport the priority it deserves.
"In our schools, standards must rise. Before the summer every secondary school in every local authority will have to have agreed a target for the number of standard grades and highers its pupils should achieve. Together we must deliver on that for the sake of our children and the benefit of the community. It is not an academic exercise, it is a necessity to give our children the chance they need to be the best.
"My second priority for this second year is childcare, and that is why next month I will unveil the Scottish Childcare Strategy. This is the start of a childcare revolution, guaranteeing the right start for our youngest children and new opportunities for many parents.
"We are now putting the building blocks in place: over £50m this year distributed to local authorities to ensure the provision of a nursery place for every four year old in Scotland next winter for everyone who wants one. One of the challenges for local government is to build the right partnerships with the voluntary and private sectors to get the comprehensive care that many working parents needs.
"My third priority is transport, and here I make it clear that Scotland must have a people-centred strategy with public transport at its heart. The Green Paper I intend to publish in the summer will signal a radical change of direction. It will not duck the real issues; the gridlock in our cities, the collapse of rural transport. There will be new powers to get our towns, cities and communities moving again.
"Local authorities will take the lead in making it happen - through bus priority measures, congestion charging and action on air pollution. All these and more will be on the table. There will be a lively debate and it will be down to you to get the right mix for your area.
"The Government was elected on a mandate to modernise Scotland and build a fairer more democratic country. To play its full role in the new Scotland local government needs to modernise. For 20 years the key role for local government in Scotland had been to protect their communities. Now the new challenge is to work in partnership with Edinburgh and Westminster to promote their communities."
"I believe that local government in Scotland is up to the challenges ahead. Working together Scotland's councils, Scotland's Parliament and Westminster government can establish a fairer and more democratic country which will serve the people well."
News Release: 0814/98
April 23, 1998