World Cup bank holiday given to South Lanarkshire Council staff
PA MediaSouth Lanarkshire Council workers will be given an extra day off this summer to mark Scotland's first match at the 2026 World Cup.
Councillors have approved plans to mark 15 June as an extra public holiday for council employees.
It means offices and non-essential services will close for the day, but essential operations - such as emergency repairs, home care and social work - will continue, with staff receiving time off in lieu. Schools will close for the day.
Council leader Joe Fagan said he believed the move would benefit both council employees and workers in general across the region.
The move follows a Royal Proclamation, originally put forward by the Scottish government, marking the date as a public holiday ahead of Scotland's first game in the tournament against Haiti at 02:00 on 14 June.
At the time, First Minister John Swinney said he expected the nation would come to a standstill for the country's matches during the tournament.
Fagan said : "I do think there is a benefit here, not just to our workforce, because we're going to see a growing number of employers across the public and private sector in South Lanarkshire and across Scotland, recognising this holiday, but also there is a benefit to the hospitality sector across Scotland.
"So I would take all that into account and on that basis I'm content with the recommendation."
The local authority heard that costs associated with backfilling for staff taking the day off would be a maximum of £300,000 and would be met through existing budgets.
Scotland will also face Morocco in Boston on 19 June, and Brazil in Miami on 24 June during the tournament. Both games kick off at 23:00.
