SCOTTISH CONFERENCE REPORT 2025

Scottish annual conference was held at Peebles Hydro hotel on 29th and 30th October.

It is a venue we have used for several years now and, as ever, was very well organised and successfully accommodated by the hotel and its now very familiar staff team.

The agenda itself had 80 motions for debate, covering all areas of our membership’s working environment and conditions. Pay and Allowances, Conditions of Service, Health & Safety are all standard headline categories of the motions under consideration as you would expect, but there is also a category under the heading of ‘Miscellaneous’ that probably captures the widest range of issues that branches bring to conference on behalf of the members. It usually results in some very interesting and, at times, surprising debates and decisions!

ANDY HOGG HLM

Before moving on to the agenda this year, we started conference by paying tribute to Andy Hogg HLM, who sadly died earlier in the year. This was the first conference since his death, so it was only right that we marked his enormous contribution to the POA over very many years. I was able to reflect on his many notable achievements during that time, but also to speak about the enormous personal qualities of Andy that we all benefited from over those years. He amassed a large number of friends and admirers in that time, and his passing has been deeply felt by us all.

CRISIS POINT REACHED REPORT

We had commissioned Unity Consulting to engage with members in Scotland throughout 2025 in focus groups, interviews and surveys, to ask them their views on a variety of issues affecting them at their work. Overcrowding, drug use, OCGs, staffing levels, pay and reward were just some of those issues, as well as retirement age. This culminated in the launch of our Crisis Point Reached report at conference. Neil Findlay of Unity Consulting and I presented an outline of the report as well as the background to its creation. Each delegate and guest were given with a copy. The national TV stations were in attendance to film the proceedings, such was the interest in the report. It is being used now as the basis for matters under discussion with the employer and the Scottish government.

GUEST SPEAKERS

We had a variety of speakers at conference, not least the General Secretary Steve Gillan and National Chair Mark Fairhurst. Both gave updates on matters in England/Wales, as well as matters relating to the 68 is Too Late campaign.

We were also joined by Sara Snell, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, at her first conference. We were given an insight into her findings so far in prisons in Scotland, which was interesting to say the least, as well as an invite back to the POA to meet her and her team to discuss matters of joint interest going forward.

Teresa Medhurst also addressed conference in her role as Chief Executive of the SPS, and this was to be her last address, having announced her retirement from the service in March 2026. Teresa is a well-known figure to us, having worked in the SPS for 40 years. She is also well respected and liked, and conference was pleased to have her address us again.

She spoke at length about the significant challenges the service has faced in her career, but in particular since her time in her current role. Teresa spoke about overseeing the service during the COVID years and the unique challenges faced by everyone. She also spoke about the current chronic overcrowding, as well as the impact the drugs, OCGs, mental health and general complexity of the prison population, and the impact that has on the service. She paid tribute to the staff for their exceptional efforts and resilience throughout this period.

She finished by talking about the importance of the partnership relationship we have in Scotland, the advantages it gives us in conducting our business together, but also about the responsibilities that come with that, and the need to maintain and protect those.

NEW DELEGATES

As well as the usual faces at conference among the branch delegates, we had several delegates from a variety of branches who were there for the first time. On a personal level, I was very struck by how well they did in representing their branch memberships, and how well they engaged in the debates on the motions. Conference is never easy for branch delegates, given the responsibility to represent the membership from their branch in all of the debates at conference. For new delegates that is even more daunting. So to see the new ones engage so readily and often, and articulating their arguments so well at their first conference was very heartening, and a good sign for the future of the POA here in Scotland.

BEATSON CANCER CHARITY AND FOODBANK

As always, we organise a raffle and fundraiser for a charity every year. We also have a collection for the local foodbank that we donate at the end of conference. The guests, delegates and branches always give so generously and this year was no different. The chosen charity this year was Beatson Cancer Charity, and we were donating in Andy Hogg’s name. That may have explained the terrific sum raised, as well as the excellent contribution from the benevolent fund. In total, we raised £7,839 for Beatson’s, and we donated more than 400 kilos of food and a cheque for £1,270 to Peeblesshire Foodbank.

PHIL FAIRLIE
ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY