CrossReach calls on the Scottish Government to fix broken promises for social care
9 February 2026
CrossReach is calling out the Scottish Government for withdrawing its support for the Scottish Living Wage for care staff in the latest Scottish Budget.
An open letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Shona Robison MSP has been sent from Rt Rev Rosemary Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Dr Mike Cantlay OBE, Convener CrossReach. The letter explains that the social care sector stands to be “significantly impacted” by the Living Wage provision made in the Budget presented to Scottish Parliament on 13 January.
The letter expresses serious alarm that the baseline figure from which the Scottish Living Wage uplift has been calculated has been changed, which no longer allows sufficient money for the expected level of wages to be paid.
Until now, the Scottish Government has made a continued commitment to, and support for, the Scottish Living Wage to be paid to the frontline workforce. All indications suggested that this would continue into 2026-2027.
In commissioned services, the costs of employment are part of the contract provided by local authorities. The letter explains that “there is no additional income within these contracts to generate the income to cover the deficit. Our ability to meet staffing costs is dependent on government funding being appropriately passed down. This current proposal cannot be considered in any way appropriate and is a further blow to a sector already substantially underfunded.”
According to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the councillor-led, cross-party representative body for all 32 Scottish local councils, latest figures from the Scottish Budget indicate a £19M shortfall across the adult and children’s workforce.
CrossReach Chief Executive Officer, Viv Dickenson said: “Like so many other voluntary sector providers, CrossReach has had to make a number of difficult decisions over recent years to bring budgets to balance. This has had an impact on the people we support and on our workforce. One of the things which we have welcomed, despite grave concerns about how far it lags behind comparable sectors, has been the continued commitment to, and support for, the Scottish Living Wage to be paid to the frontline workforce; all indications being that would continue into 2026-2027 as there had been no discussion to the contrary.
“We were angry and disappointed to find that the Scottish Government position has changed and that full support for the Scottish Living Wage appears to have been withdrawn. This is of immediate urgency. If no action is taken, the health and social care sector will be pushed over the edge of sustainability – something which will be felt in communities across Scotland, including by some of our most marginalised individuals and families.”
