Council leaders call on Scottish Government to rethink plans for council shake-up
Focus should be on how changes can improve people’s lives rather than on structures, says Cosla
Scotland’s council leaders have called on the Scottish Government to rethink its plans for a shake-up of local authorities.
Ministers have set out initial plans to replace the current 32 councils with between six and 10 regional authorities and up to 160 community authorities, effectively abolishing councils like Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian.
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But now the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), the councils’ umbrella organisation, says it has agreed “a vision” for public service reform which challenges the assumption that structures alone are the answer and calls instead for “evidence-led reform” focused on improving outcomes for people, communities and places.
After a meeting of council leaders on Friday, Cosla said it was clear that change in Scotland’s public services was needed. “Demand is increasing, finances are under pressure, inequalities persist, and communities rightly expect services that are responsive, sustainable and accountable.”
Cosla also signalled it was not happy with the government’s timetable which aims to reach a shared position on the shake-up by early December, jut three months after it set out its ideas. The council leaders said that reform must be done “at a pace that allows meaningful and considered engagement”.
Cosla president Shona Morrison said: "The Scottish Government's proposals and approach to engagement need a rethink. Council Leaders were clear today – we are calling for reform to be done in a way that allows meaningful, broad and considered engagement and for this to be done with Cosla.
"Scotland’s public services need reform, but successful reform must start by asking what outcomes people want for their communities, not by assuming that any particular organisational model is the answer.
“We also cannot lose sight of the fact local government has borne the brunt of funding cuts over recent years.
"Some services may be better planned delivered at a different scale and other parts of the public sector must come into this. Everything should be on the table - not just local government. What matters is whether change improves outcomes, strengthens accountability and delivers the most impact for public money."
Cosla said its vision was based on the principle of "local by default, regional where it adds value, and national where necessary."
It said: “Decisions should be taken as close as possible to the people affected, whilst recognising that some functions can be delivered more effectively through regional or national arrangements where there is a clear evidence base for doing so.”
It said reform should ensure funding, powers and accountability were properly aligned, and should include a reform of local taxation. And it argued reform was needed across the whole public sector, including national agencies and public bodies, not just local government.
Cosla said: “We have shared this vision with the First Minister, and at a time when there are discussions around further devolution of powers, we are also pressing for greater devolution of powers from national to a local level so that more decisions can be made with the communities they may affect.”
Cosla vice president Steven Heddle said: “Structures matter, but they are not the end in themselves. The test of any reform must be simple: will it improve people's lives?"