Political opinion: Paul Godzik - New staffing low further highlights college concern
College staffing figures across Scotland have hit a record low, with new figures showing overall frontline public sector staffing across Scotland continues to fall, while the Scottish Government headcount in Edinburgh has risen once again.
The Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics for 3rd Quarter 2025 shows the number of Scottish Government civil servants increased by 420 despite a pledge by the SNP government to reduce central costs.
In contrast, local authority headcount dropped by 730 while college staffing plummeted by 430 to a record low. A recent Audit Scotland report confirmed a real-terms budget cut of 20% for Scotland’s colleges, and Colleges Scotland have recently warned that a number of local colleges across Scotland could be facing insolvency.
Labour’s candidate for Falkirk West, Paul Godzik, has raised his concern at the figures and urged the Scottish Government to prioritise local services. He said: “These figures tell us what many local people already know: frontline jobs are being cut, and local services are being run-down. Jobs are being created at the centre while our local colleges are in crisis and our local authorities are stripped to the bone.
“The SNP Government seem addicted to centralisation, but it does nothing to improve services on the ground. They are prioritising jobs in Edinburgh over frontline services here in Falkirk.
“That desperately needs to change, we need a Scottish Government that will put local services first.”
Commenting, Scottish Labour Finance spokesperson Michael Marra said: “This wasteful and out of touch SNP government keeps adding to its own bloated operations while frontline services struggle.
“Once again the SNP is putting its own interests ahead of Scotland’s interest.
“A Scottish Labour government will cut waste and bureaucracy and put public money where it belongs – in our overstretched public services.”