Cosla President: Councils are up for reform but will "fiercely defend" local accountability

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. The Programme for Government could signal the biggest shake-up of local democracy since devolution. At a time when trust in politics and public institutions is being tested, it is clear that Scotland needs more democracy, not less, and that we must bring decisions closer to our communities, not further away. The three-month intensive dialogue "on the future of local governance' announced by the Scottish Government this week is therefore welcome, although the conversation does not start here, nor will it end in November. It is also vital that this dialogue is wide and inclusive, engaging with communities and those workers who deliver services locally. As the voice of local government in Scotland, Cosla and our member councils are essential to this national conversation, not as a defender of the status quo but as a champion of localism and local democracy. Councils are already showing they are up for the challenge of public service reform and examples were cited by the First Minister in parliament this week, from shared services and strengthened regional economic partnerships to radical proposals for a 'single authority model' in some parts of the country. Mr Swinney noted this week that some councils are "too big to be local" while others are "too small to be strategic". Previous discussions in Scotland, including those led by the Christie Commission and the Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy, have reached the same conclusion: we need services to be more locally accountable and a transfer of power to communities is essential to rebuild confidence in our democracy and improve lives. Instead of focusing on structures in isolation, we encourage an asymmetric model of governance tailored to suit each community. Councils have been leading change locally over many years of significant financial pressure so councils won't block reform. We will however fiercely defend local accountability of public services. It is for this reason that councils - as well as our partners in the third sector and the trade unions - will pay close attention to reforms proposed in social care and the impact of the potentially centralising move to two health boards. How Scotland reforms governance may matter just as much as what those final structures look like. Cosla will therefore be calling on Ministers to ensure communities and those who depend on public services are meaningfully engaged throughout, and that the workforce - the vital staff who deliver services in the public and third sector locally - are part of that conversation too. Of course we also recognise that public service reform must delivery greater efficiency and Scotland's budget gap is indeed daunting. No part of the public sector has felt this more sharply than local government and councils, rooted in place, are poised to support Ministers in shaping a more efficient public sector - including national public bodies - in a way that protects local services. Although we should be realistic about what can be achieved in three months, Scotland is faced with an important opportunity to reform public services for the better. Looking ahead to next year's council elections, Cosla will encourage the brightest, best from our diverse communities to stand for council. We need those voices to help shape public services during this important moment for local democracy. It is welcome that Ministers have reached out early to Cosla, whose council Leaders will meet later this month with the First Minister to discuss the reforms in question. Scottish Government cannot reshape public services without working in partnership with our locally elected members and the communities they represent.