No World Cup bank holiday for Dumfries and Galloway Council staff

Dumfries and Galloway Council has decided not to grant an extra bank holiday to its employees for the World Cup.

It means 15 June will be a normal working day for employees in all council departments.

The local authority highlighted the "significant one-day unfunded cost to cover lost productivity, staffing of essential services, and lost revenue through the closure of other council services on that day".

It said its stance was in line with most other Scottish local authorities.

The additional holiday was announced by the Scottish government earlier this year to celebrate Scotland qualifying for the World Cup.

Individual councils can decide whether to implement the holiday locally.

It takes place the day after Scotland's first game at the tournament against Haiti.

A statement from Dumfries and Galloway Council said: "This decision is not a reflection of a lack of enthusiasm for Scotland's World Cup campaign.

"The council shares the pride and excitement of the community in seeing our national team reach the World Cup finals after 28 years.

"We encourage staff and residents to enjoy the tournament in their own way on the Sunday and during off-hours."

It pointed out that it had recently conditionally approved an extension of pub opening hours for key matches during the tournament.