Parents taking legal action over Glasgow City Council school budget cuts

Glasgow City Council is facing legal action from parents over plans to cut education services.

Campaigners from the Glasgow City Parents Group confirmed it had begun legal proceedings against the council after cuts posing a “threat” to children’s education were announced.

The Council previously outlined plans to cut 450 teachers over the next three years and reduce MCR Pathways Coordinators by 50%.

Parents say they believe the move will have a “profoundly negative impact” on the quality of education and support provided to the city’s children and young people.

The group said they received confirmation that the Council failed to conduct a full and proper Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) before making the decisions on cuts – something the group said is a “clear violation” of the Council’s legal obligations.

The group is calling for an “immediate halt” to the implementation of the cuts and for the Council to revisit its decision making process.

GCPG chair Leanne McGuire said the proposed cuts represent a “real and immediate threat” to the quality of education that all of Glasgow’s children and young people deserve.

“It is unacceptable that such significant decisions were made without a comprehensive understanding of their impact on all pupils, particularly those who are most vulnerable,” she said.

She added: “We urge Glasgow City Council to reconsider these cuts and to fulfil their legal obligations by conducting a full Equalities Impact Assessment before any further action is taken, and to ensure they follow this process going forward.”

“We understand that as members of GCPG, we are in a privileged position and are already actively engaged in our children’s education. We don’t challenge this decision for our own children; we challenge this decision for all of Glasgow’s children. For the families who are unable to challenge and feel they must accept any poor decision that is imposed on them.”

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We have received legal correspondence that our lawyers are now reviewing.

“It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”