COUNCIL chiefs in Argyll and Bute may have to spend an extra £800,000 to retain the current teacher number of 848, a report has revealed.

Officers expect to keep the present total in 2025/26, as £2.1 million of Scottish Government funding for local authorities depends on retaining existing numbers.

The cost pressure is being reported as the council forecasts a budget gap of £14.5m for the 2025/26 financial year.

A report on the authority’s budget outlook will go before its policy and resources committee at its meeting on Thursday, October 10.

Executive director Kirsty Flanagan said: “As part of the 2023/24 local government finance settlement, the Scottish Government held back £45.5m on the condition that councils maintained teacher numbers at the 2022 census level.

“The December 2023 census showed a reduction in teacher numbers of 160. Ultimately, the Scottish Government released the £45.5m to all local authorities, regardless of whether they maintained teacher numbers.

“The Scottish Government has, for 2024/25, removed £145.5m from the general revenue grant and has instead issued this as a specific grant, conditional on maintaining teacher numbers at the level set out in each council’s grant letter.

“For Argyll and Bute Council this is £2.1m and there is an expectation that we will maintain 848 teachers, this was the figure returned in the 2023 census and 13 teachers more than in the base budget. To maintain a figure of 848 teachers would result in a cost pressure of £0.880m.

“Discussions are continuing between COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and the Scottish Government and at this stage the additional cost has not been added into the budget outlook but there remains a risk that if we do not maintain the teacher numbers in our grant letter then some or all of the specific grant could be withheld.”