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The Scottish Government has avoided a dispute with thousands of emergency services workers after reversing a decision not to fund a royal medal.
King Charles announced plans to give the award to all frontline workers across the UK as a thank you for their service and to mark his coronation. The Scottish Government had initially said it wouldn’t fund the medals plan – believed to cost £200,000 – which caused a row with service chiefs.
But ministers did a U-turn after the Sunday Mail contacted them and have now agreed to pay for them.
In a joint letter to the government before the reversal, the heads of Scotland’s police, fire and ambulance services said: “Police officers, firefighters and ambulance crews in England and Wales are being rewarded for their service with King’s coronation medals, paid for by government.
“This includes police officers working in Scotland for UK services. We are concerned that the Scottish Government has rejected a request to do the same for emergency services workers in Scotland.”
In May, it was announced that members of the emergency services with at least five years’ service would be awarded one of 400,000 medals alongside members of the Armed Forces and people who helped at the coronation.
Unveiling the medal design, the UK Government Department of Culture, Media and Sport said it showed a double portrait of King Charles and Queen Camilla on the front and a version of the Royal Cypher, a laurel wreath and the date of the coronation on the back.
It added: “The ribbon is made up of red, blue and white vertical stripes – the colours of the Union Flag – and made of nickel silver and plated in nickel.”
It is estimated to cost more than £200,000 to give all eligible Scottish staff the medals, with the government
previously citing budget constraints as the reason for not funding them.
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In their joint letter, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service chief officer Ross Haggart, Scottish Ambulance Service chief executive Michael Dickson and Police Scotland’s deputy chief constable Fiona Taylor wrote: “Our officers, firefighters and paramedics have been on the frontline of keeping people safe and responding to emergencies during some of the most difficult times in recent years.
“This includes during the covid pandemic and in the delivery of major events such as Cop26, the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen and coronation events in Scotland.
“The pressure on our colleagues during these events has been relentless. At the same time, all three of our agencies have struggled with increased demand and unprecedented budget pressures.
“These medals are highly valued by our colleagues and failing to recognise their contribution to civic society,
in line with their UK counterparts, will likely be disappointing and demoralising. The Scottish Government paid for medals at the time of the Queen’s platinum jubilee and we would urge you to do so again.”
David Threadgold, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “I acknowledge that the Scottish Government appear to have changed their mind when it comes to issuing the King’s coronation medal for police officers in Scotland. It concerns me slightly that this apparently required intervention from the media to achieve but am pleased that my colleagues will soon be proudly wearing a medal that they have rightfully earned.”
Unison Scottish secretary Lilian Macer said: “These are ordinary, hard-working people who put themselves in danger to serve us all and that should be recognised by the Scottish Government.”
But a spokesman for the Fire Brigade’s Union said they would rather money was not spent on the medals.
He said: “Our jobs and the service we provide is under attack from year-on-year budget cuts. Rather than spending money on medals marking the coronation, our members would prefer investment to maintain jobs and services.”
The Scottish Government said: “We are committed to ensuring that those who are eligible in Scotland receive the King’s coronation medal in recognition of their efforts. We have had positive discussions with the emergency services and this will be paid for, as normal, by the Scottish Government.”
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