CFE Democracy Scottish Local Government

Scottish Parliament: Powers Devolved powers Health Education Local Government Law Social Work and Housing Economic Development and Transport The Environment Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Sport and the Arts Those in red are the ones which Scotland’s 32 local authorities treasure. Tensions undoubtedly exist. The Scottish Government makes policies for the whole country, while each of Scotland’s 32 Las have their own specific needs. However, co-operation between, for example COSLA, which represents the 32 local authorities and the Scottish Government takes place on an ongoing basis. It does not make news, but regular meetings and discussions take place to decide how SG policies can be implemented on the ground. It is a two way process. The SG will listen to the views of COSLA too. The powers in purple are those local government treasures the most.

Roles of Local Government Providing Services Community Leadership and Planning Regulation Local democracy Local authorities in Scotland are much more than parks and wheelie bins…LA services affect everyone in the country on a daily basis. Write down all the things you do in an average day. How are Las involved?

Providing Services Education Social Work Housing Local authorities have responsibility for the planning, resourcing and direct provision of a wide range of services which are within the competence of the Scottish Parliament. These include education, housing, social work, economic development, public protection, planning, leisure and recreation. Additional methods of service provision that have developed in recent years include working in partnership with other public agencies and commissioning services from the voluntary and private sectors, for example, community planning partnerships and local economic forums. In addition, local government increasingly works in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors as well as with Executive Agencies, such as Communities Scotland in order to deliver a range of services. Local authorities provide the services most of us at some point in our life depend upon.

Community leadership and planning The Local Government Act of 2003 provided local authorities with the responsibility to promote “well-being”. Such initiatives, such as anti litter campaigns and Eco schools, cut across local government departments and seek to improve the quality of life for everyone. This is a relatively new role for local authorities that involves addressing issues which do not fit neatly within any single agency’s responsibility. Such cross-cutting issues include promoting social inclusion, ensuring community safety and dealing with environmental concerns. The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 placed local government as the key agency in the community planning process and providing local authorities with a ‘power of well-being’. Move the Goalposts

Local Democracy It is the job of councillors, elected local representatives, to decide how the Council’s budget should be spent. The STV system, introduced to Scottish council elections in 2007, creates larger constituencies, which are often multi-party in composition. For example…. City of Edinburgh has 58 Councillors, elected in 17 wards Each ward has 3 or 4 councillors to represent the public The Council is led by a Labour/SNP coalition Councillors provide local leadership and representation City of Edinburgh Council. Ward 10: Meadows and Morningside Paul Godzik Scottish Labour Melanie Main Scottish Green For example, City of Edinburgh has 58 councillors, elected in 17 council wards. Each ward has a certain number of councillors, elected by STV. The example above the ward of A constituent can contact either of these councillors on an issue. Councillors belong to a variety of council committees, which vary from council to council. for example; education and families. It is the job of councillors, elected local representatives , to decide how the Council’s budget should be spent. Sandy Howat SNP Mark McInnes Scottish Conservative

Council Leaders Each local authority has a council leader. In 2013, Stirling Council, which is a Labour/Conservative coalition, elected Johanna Boyd as it’s leader. She is Scotland’s youngest council leader and one of only two female Scottish council leaders.

COSLA The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the body which represents Scottish councils to the Scottish Government.

2014 cosla in crisis In 2014, Aberdeen, Dumfries and Galloway, Inverclyde, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and west Lothian all applied to leave COSLA. The rows have involved the need to make savings, decision making and some party politics. Glasgow City leader, Gordon Matheson (Lab), said “Cosla is used by the Scottish Government as a human shield. Ministers divert criticism about cuts and claim they are merely implementing the funding formula agreed by Cosla. And councils end up squabbling among themselves over scraps."

Relations with Scottish Government Derek Mackay, MSP for Renfrewshire North & West, is Scottish Government Minister for Local Government and Planning. “We actually agree and get on with the job much more than we get credit for as politicians” Derek Mackay

Local Government pre-devolution Scottish local government was organised into its current size in 1996 by the then UK Conservative Government. The re-organisation was seen as a political ploy to break up Labour’s control of large local authorities and create smaller, suburban, more affluent authorities, which would, perhaps be more supportive of the Conservatives. There are 32 local authorities in Scotland. Many are very different, but others, particularly neighbouring ones, are very similar in size, composition and need. 1 Aberdeen, City of , 2 Aberdeenshire , 3 Angus , 4 Argyll & Bute , 5 Borders, The , 6 Clackmannan , 7 Dumfries and Galloway 8 Dundee, City of ,9 East Ayrshire ,10 East Dunbartonshire , 11 East Lothian 12 East Renfrewshire 13 Edinburgh, City of 14 Falkirk 15 Fife 16 Glasgow, City of 17 Highland 18 Inverclyde 19 Midlothian 20 Moray 21 North Ayrshire 22 North Lanarkshire 23 Orkney Islands 24 Perthshire & Kinross 25 Renfrewshire 26 Shetland Islands 27South Ayrshire 28 South Lanarkshire 29 Stirling 30 West Dunbartonshire 31 West Lothian 32 Western Isles (Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan) Scottish local government was re-organised in 1996, creating the 32 single tier local authorities we have today. It was a time of great tension between Scotland’s local authorities and the Conservative government based in London. There was no Scottish Parliament, in those days but, there was, of course the Scottish Office, based in Edinburgh. Most of Scotland’s local authorities were dominated by the Labour Party. Labour opposed many of the Conservatives’ policies, such as the sale of council houses, the publishing of school attainment statistics, the Conservatives’ Community Charge, or “Poll tax”. It also opposed the re-organisation of local government, seeing it as an attempt to “gerrymander” new political support for the Conservatives in the new, affluent authorities such as East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire.

“Old” Scottish local government Prior to the 2007 local government elections, Labour was the power in Scottish local government, controlling 13 out of 32 local authorities. The First Past the Post voting system helped Labour to win power. Prior to 2007, and introduction of STV to Scottish local elections, Labour dominated councils in the central belt of Scotland, where most people live. After the 2003 local elections The Labour Party controlled 13 local authorities of Scotland’s 32 LAs, the SNP had control of just one local authority and 6 local authorities were controlled by Independents. 11 local authorities had no overall control and required a coalition.

Statutory relationship Local government is a devolved power of the Scottish Parliament. Local government does not have any statutory powers of its own. At any point, the Scottish Government can intervene and take over the running of any of local government’s powers. As it did when the Scottish Government took control of the trams project from Edinburgh Council. Scottish Government takes over management of trams

Regulation Local authorities have the job of deciding on licences, for example, for taxi drivers and pubs and clubs. Local authorities also have regulatory functions, such as the granting of certain licences (e.g. taxi drivers and public houses), and registration and inspection functions (e.g. environmental health). Above, Canny Man’s pub, Edinburgh.

Co-operation with Scottish Parliament: The smoking ban Co-operation is built into the relationship between the two layers of government. Local authorities, quietly, cooperate with the Scottish government every day of the week. The Scottish Government can pass a law e.g. on banning smoking in enclosed public spaces. But local authorities are required to enforce it. Co-operation takes place with local government’s other service. E.g. housing Scottish Government/Local authorities and housing The relationship between local authorities and the Scottish Government is a two-way one. The Scottish Government can pass a law .e.g. On smoking in enclosed public spaces, but it requires LAs to enforce it. Local Authorities in Scotland spend over £65million a year on cleaning up litter from our roads and streets. A dropped cigarette butt carries a littering fine of at least £50 and can be as much as £2500

The Concordat The Concordat agreed in 2007 and renewed in 2011 between the SNP Scottish Government and COSLA is based upon: Reducing “ring fencing” of projects by the Scottish Government Freezing Council Tax increases Establishing Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) Councils delivering Scottish Government commitments

Delivery of Scottish Government commitments As part of the Concordat, councils have agreed to deliver on the Scottish Government’s election commitments: Continue the delivery of 1000 more police officers Cut business rates Show year on year improvements in school buildings and class sizes Maintain free personal care for the elderly Have more respite for carers Provide free school meals for P1-P3 Continue the Council Tax freeze

Continuing Council Tax Freezes After much resistance by local authorities, the SNP Scottish Government “persuaded” all Scottish local authorities to freeze any Council Taxes increases, for a further year. Failure to comply would have meant that councils would have faced even greater cuts in their budgets. The SNP’s 2011 manifesto pledged to continue the freeze until 2016. COSLA agreed to freeze Council Tax increases until 2010 in return for small annual increases in funding and greater control over spending decisions (the reductions in ring-fencing) Councils have been required to make “efficiency savings” but any they make can be kept for themselves to spend as they wish. COSLA has been delighted with the reductions in ring-fencing. Councils believe locally elected councillors, not MSPs, are best placed to make decisions over education, housing and social work (the big spenders).The reductions in ring fencing mean that it is the councils who will make more of these decisions not the Scottish government. All councils agreed to freeze the council tax rate for the fourth year running in order to avoid the penalty of a bigger cut in central funding. The SNP’s plan to extend the council tax freeze until 2016 was a surprise manifesto commitment after they had previously agreed to extend the freeze to 2013. They remain committed t o the introduction of a local income tax, but not until after the provisions of the Scotland Act take effect after 2016.

Not all councils are happy Since 2007, the Scottish Government and local authorities have agreed a “Concordat” over funding and delivery of services. In 2011, all council leaders, except the Scottish Labour-led ones, voted for the Scottish Government’s financial settlement. But, as funding gets tighter, Scottish Labour-led authorities, especially Glasgow, have voiced their disapproval. “John Swinney appears to be making this up as he goes along … the settlement is riddled with holes and unanswered questions.. The threat of financial sanctions is being made by what has become a domineering Scottish Government” Gordon Matheson, leader, Glasgow City Council.

Conflict over other provision of other services Historically Scottish local authorities have provided services such as education. But sometimes the Scottish Government wants a national approach such as with the introduction of the new SQA Curriculum For Excellence qualifications in 2014. East Renfrewshire Council, however, has decided not to introduce the new qualifications in 2014, the only Scottish local authority to do so.

A Concordat? Scottish Labour claims that local authorities have been made to deliver key (SNP) national policies with no extra money. It claims that the SNP has not given local authorities the funds they were promised. But, COSLA signed up to the Concordat. In the light of Westminster-led budget cuts, it is understandable that COSLA wish to end the freeze on Council Tax increases. The Concordat is also being blamed for a teacher exodus with many local authorities cutting education spending to save money. Scottish Labour claims that local authorities are being made to deliver key policies with no extra money. It claims that the SNP has not given local authorities the funds they were promised. Teachers are concerned over cuts being made to education budgets, which they fear will lead to job losses, falling standards in the classroom and a failure to cut class sizes. There is the possibility of strike action by Scotland’s largest teachers union, the EIS. But, COSLA signed up to the Concordat. Who will get the blame if/when services are cut? Will it be local government or the Scottish Government? Some people may even blame the UK Government! The EIS has called for the scrapping of the concordat and the ring fencing for education reintroduced in order to protect spending on schools.

Multi-party local government Number of Councillors SNP 424 Scottish Labour 394 Independents 201 Scottish Conservatives 115 Scottish Liberal Democrats 71 Scottish Greens 14 Scottish Socialists 1 In 2012, the SNP once again became Scotland’s largest party in local government. But the STV helped to deliver multi-party politics in most of the country. Parties have to co-operate with each other, rather than indulge in “yah-boo” politics. Parties are less inclined to squabble with one another. Faced with Scottish Government ‘centralisation’, councillors are open to all sorts of new ways of working. 2012 council election results

Coalition local government is the norm City of Edinburgh Council 2012 The majority of councils in Scotland - 23 - are "hung" with no one party in overall control. The Labour/SNP coalition in Edinburgh is perhaps the most interesting. At a national level, the parties are avowed enemies. But if you took the independence issue away, and local councils can’t make Scotland independent, there is often little to separate SNP and Labour councillors. Most Councillors are able to separate party politics from the job of running a council. Party Number of Councillors Scottish Labour 20 SNP 18 Scottish Conservatives 11 Scottish Greens 6 Scottish Liberal Democrats 3

Impact of the cuts on local authorities Scotland’s councils are facing the toughest budgets they have experienced in decades. Some examples across Scotland are; cuts in school transport, museums and sports centres, police overtime. Redundancies are being made and posts are unfilled. There are increases in charges in services for services such as breakfast clubs, special refuse uplifts and blue badges for disabled drivers.

The age of austerity Emergency Budget 2010 In order to deal with the budget deficit, brought on by the bail-out of the banks, Chancellor George Osborne introduced an Emergency Budget in June 2010. There will be annual cuts in Scottish public spending of around 4% for the next four to five years. 1 in 3 Scots work in the public sector. 95% of Scottish children go to state schools. Almost everyone in Scotland will be affected by the cuts. In practical terms, this means the amount of money given to local authorities has been cut by 2.6% Emergency Budget 2010

The Christie Commission In July 2011, the Christie Commission produced its findings on how local government could improve the value of its services. "Our public services are now facing their most serious challenges since the inception of the welfare state... rising demand for public services will take place in an environment of constrained public spending. In the absence of a willingness to raise new revenue through taxation, public services will have to achieve more with less.” Campbell Christie – Commission on Future Delivery of Public Services.

Preventative early intervention services The Christie Commission stressed the need for an approach which prioritises prevention rather than cure. “We are spending billions on problems that are solvable and should be dealt with at a much earlier stage, whether it is drugs or alcohol or early intervention with young children to prevent offending” John Downie, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations Family Matters

Cooperation with other local authorities COSLA is wary of other services, such as education, being ‘centralised’ the way Police and Fire have. And is especially anxious about calls to reduce the number of local authorities there are. So, rather than have a ‘single service’ it is embracing the idea of ‘shared services’. Midlothian and East Lothian Councils have merged their education and children’s services team. So too have Stirling and Clackmannanshire. These are neighbouring authorities. The aims are to improve services and make savings. Shared Services

Post referendum Whatever the result of the Independence referendum, change will continue. Should Scotland become independent, there is likely to be a new settlement between local authorities and the Scottish Government. Whether independence happens or not, COSLA is demanding that there be no ‘centralising agenda’. It wants local government to have constitutional protection. “Centralisation is the enemy of everything we stand for in local government” Cllr David, O’Neill, COSLA leader