Scotland’s 32 councils could be replaced by as few as six regional authorities, alongside up to 160 community bodies, under SNP plans for a sweeping local government overhaul. The proposals have already been condemned as a “dog’s dinner”.
The Scottish Government yesterday published further details of its plans to restructure local government as part of wider public sector reforms.
Its “opening proposition” would see the existing system replaced with between six and 10 regional authorities responsible for strategic decision-making.
Alongside them, between 120 and 160 community authorities would be created to handle decisions affecting local areas.
Councillors would continue to be elected from the existing ward structures and would serve on both their community authority and the wider regional authority.
Alexander Burnett, the Scottish Conservative spokesman for local government reform, said: “This is nothing short of a dog’s dinner from the SNP.
“John Swinney and his ministers are clearly making it up as they go along rather than being honest with Scots about what they are planning.
“After securing the easy headlines, ministers are already showing signs that no work had been done beyond that.”
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said the proposals were intended to start debate
“Restructuring local government and the delivery of the local services provided by councils is far too important to be taken forward with half-baked measures.”
He added: “The SNP has a terrible track record when it comes to reforming public services, and the Scottish Conservatives will continue to demand that Swinney comes clean on his proposals, especially with local council elections due next year.”
Under the complex plans, the six to 10 regional authorities would oversee “strategic decision-making”, while the 120 to 160 community authorities would be responsible for “local decision-making”.
The Scottish Government said the community authorities would sit within the boundaries of the regional authorities and could be organised around identifiable “burgh, county, town, district or island” communities.
Possible examples include Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Leith in Edinburgh, and Blairgowrie and Rattray in Perthshire. The authorities could also cover townships, villages or islands.
The proposal states that councillors would continue to be elected at the current ward level, while serving on both the community authority and its associated regional authority.
“This would improve local decision-making and enable greater strategic working, without the necessity of a further layer of elections or creating additional tiers of bureaucracy,” the document said.
Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, criticised the plans as “ill-advised and entirely impractical”. He said it was unrealistic to expect councils to hold meaningful discussions and reach an agreement within just 10 weeks.
“The plan is clearly half-baked and raises numerous unanswered questions, such as what exactly will the new regions be and how will the geographies of community authorities be decided and by whom?” he said.
Joe Fagan, Scottish Labour’s local government spokesman, said local services were under growing pressure across Scotland and that too many communities were being let down.
“It’s clear things need to change, but it is crucial that we get this right. The Scottish Government must not blunder into another reorganisation.
Then First Minister Humza Yousaf with COSLA president Shona Morrison – who said she was engage in constructive dialogue with current SNP leadership
‘Any reforms must be made in partnership with local government and backed up with fair funding for local services.’
Scottish Liberal Democrat local government spokesman Morven-May MacCallum said: ‘Councils should be able to make decisions that are right for their local areas.
‘They should not be subject to another wave of SNP centralisation or cuts, which have already caused so much harm in communities across the country.’
Councillor Shona Morrison, president of local authority umbrella body Cosla, said: ‘Today’s statement gives some clarity to the Scottish Government’s intentions around the future of local government and public service reform.
‘Cosla has been clear that public service reform will only succeed if it is rooted in communities and that any changes to our governance landscape must enhance local democracy and bring decisions closer to communities.
‘Councils will engage with ministers to shape the future of local democracy. We will not support reforms that dilute local democracy or remove accountability from the people we serve.
‘Cosla’s membership will consider these proposals from Scottish Government and continue constructive dialogue on what may be a fundamental restructuring of governance in Scotland.’
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said: ‘These proposals are intended to provide a starting point to facilitate debate and discussion as we work to deliver reforms that strengthen public services and improve outcomes for the people and communities we serve.’