Local Government in Scotland Starter Task What are the three levels of Government in Scotland?

Today we will…

Success Criteria I will

List of local authorities Local Government in Scotland is made up of 1222 elected councillors working on our behalf. Scotland now has 32 unitary local authorities- these are known as councils List of local authorities

Glasgow City Council Each local council, like Glasgow is divided into electoral ward and councillors are elected in each ward to represent the people who live there. A Councillor is elected to represent a WARD, which is the equivalent of a constituency and will be accountable to the people of that ward. This is achieved by constituents visiting surgeries or lobbying their councillor by presenting petitions.

Why Local Councils? Local Government should be ‘the voice of the people’ They should play a vital role in meeting the needs of citizens Just as Westminster ‘devolves’ certain powers to the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Parliament ‘devolves’ certain powers to Local Councils. Have a key role in communities and impact on the daily lives of all Scottish citizens. Glasgow City Council is the most heavily populated local authority with a population of approximately 698,000. It is responsible for delivering key services to the people of Glasgow. On the next slide match the service provided to the correct example.

Department Example Environmental Protection Responsible for museums Housing Refuse and recycling collection Social Work Provides council houses, deals with homeless Cultural Services Collects council tax Finance Looks after leisure centres Recreation Services Work with children and the elderly Roads Deals with deaths, births and marriages Law and Administration Provides street lighting Education Runs schools, employs teachers

Role of Local Government The roles of Scotland’s local authorities were set out in the 2003 Local Govt in Scotland Act. Providing Services – Local authorities have responsibility for the planning, resourcing and direct provision of a wide range of services e.g. education, housing, social work, leisure and recreation etc. Strategic Planning – LAs provide a long-term strategic planning framework setting long term objectives for their area. Regulation - LAs also have regulatory functions such as certain licences e.g. taxi drivers and pubs. Community Leadership – This is a relatively new role for LAs which involves addressing issues which do not fit neatly within the responsibility of any single agency e.g. promoting social inclusion, promoting well-being e.g. 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Types of Services Local authorities carry out their role within the powers prescribed under the various acts. Mandatory services- LA is required to provide this service by law. For example, primary and secondary education. Other services are discretionary. A discretionary service is one that the local authority is allowed to provide if it wishes- for example an outing for elderly. A permissive service is one that they are not required to provide by law but legally allowed to do- theatres, swimming pools. Thinking Task: Who is in charge of Education in Scotland? Could this cause any problems between the LA and the SG? In what way? Can you think of any examples that could cause conflict?

Working in Partnership LA have to work in partnership with other public agencies- from the voluntary and private sectors. An example of these- Glasgow Community Planning Partnership. Allows for more effective and efficient public services and involve local communities in helping to decide what services are provided. Glasgow City Council Communities Scotland NHS Greater Glasgow Fire and Rescue Scotland Glasgow Housing Association Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Police Scotland

Best Value Act places LA under a duty to secure best value. Best value expects local authorities to maintain a balance between the quality and cost of the service delivered. Many have used Public private partnerships to build new schools- private companies build the new schools and rent them out to the local authority. Glasgow City Council have decided to end Hogmanay celebrations at 10pm. Glasgow City Council have made this decision as it is ‘is better value for money for the public purse than a full-scale celebration’

Financing Local Government Local government receives most of its income directly from the Scottish Government in the form of grants. Revenue support grant (80%) 20% is raised locally through council tax payments, fees and charges for the services they provide. Non-domestic rates- taxes on business in their area. At the moment there is a council tax freeze. Why would the Government introduce a freeze on council tax? Who might be opposed to that and why? Thinking Task

Expenditure There are 2 types of expenditure which councils undertake and which have different sources of income. 1.Capital Expenditure When a council uses money to finance the building of a new major asset e.g. school, leisure centre or council housing. The Finance Minister grants borrowing permission for a certain amount of money to each council, which is then entitled to borrow from a bank/ other financial institution. Councils raise money themselves by selling off assets – including council owned land e.g. school playing fields. They get one off grants from the EU or bodies such as National Lottery. A recent option for councils is to look to the private sector.This allowed for Capital projects to be financed in full by the private sector. Under this model a council may borrow money from financial institutions in the form of a long term loan or lease back of a new building. Labour Govt endorsed and expanded this idea calling it the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Expenditure There are 2 types of expenditure which councils undertake and which have different sources of income. 1.Revenue Expenditure It consists of the annual running costs of the council. These can range from the wages of employees to telephone and heating bills, to the cost of photocopying books in schools, to repaying loans on Capital Expenditure. There are 4 main SOURCES of income for Revenue Expenditure. Funds from Central Govt About 80% of council income comes from central govt. in the form of a revenue support grant. The annual figure and breakdown by council area is determined by the Scottish Govt Minister for Finance. Council Tax Charges for Services Business Rates

Expenditure Paired Reading Both persons silently read the first section. Person A summarizes the content to Person B. Pair discusses. Move on to the next section and repeat the procedure and Person B summarizes Continue until the passage is read. Complete the reflection sheet Capital Expenditure Revenue Expenditure Private Sector Funding Sources of Revenue Expenditure