Fury at call for freeze on public-sector pay

The Herald

- Scotland’s public-sector workers should face a permanent pay freeze to bring them into line with counterparts in the private sector, a thinktank has claimed. Ending annual pay rises and automatic upgrades based on an employee’s length of service would help eliminate the pound;1.2 billion “overpaid” to public-sector workers north of the border, claims the free- market Policy Exchange.

Schools put pupils’ data at risk, finds new survey

The Scotsman

- Schools could be putting pupils’ personal data at risk by failing to store it securely, according to new research. The study suggests that schools are increasingly collecting students’ biometric data, such as fingerprints, but do not always think about the security issues surrounding this.

School shines out as best building

The Press and Journal

- An Inverness primary school has won the regional prize for best new building at the Highlands and Islands Architecture and Design awards. Milton of Leys Primary opened in August, 2011, serving the hundreds of youngsters who live in the residential area on the outskirts of the city. Designed by architects at Highland Council, it was built by Morrison Construction.

Child thugs on the rampage

Scottish Daily Mail

- Children as young as 10 are carrying out an average of nearly 100 crimes every day, including rape, knife possession and assault. More than 100,000 crimes have been committed over the past three years, fuelling fears that large groups of feral children are bringing terror to neighbourhoods across Scotland.

Councils urged to stop using schools as polling stations

The Herald

- Councils should seek alternative locations for polling stations to avoid regular upheaval for parents due to school closures, an MSP has urged. SNP MSP John Mason has written to Glasgow City Council, calling on it to carry out a root-and-branch review of polling places used at election time, claiming the break in the election cycle is the ideal opportunity for the local authority to explore how it can change things.