Scots town halls want more local devolution

1 Feb 07
Councils should have control over primary health care, ministers have been told by the organisation that represents Scottish local authorities.

02 February 2007

Councils should be given control over primary health care, ministers have been told by the organisation that represents Scottish local authorities.

In a submission to the Scottish Executive, COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) also makes a case for functions like regeneration, local economic development and further education being transferred to local democratic control.

The proposals have been made in response to the Executive's consultation paper, Transforming Public Services. Finance minister Tom McCabe has promised not to impose a “top down” solution for public sector reform. Instead, he wants a “bottom up” approach, with plans put forward by the public sector itself.

In its response, entitled From Confusion to Conclusion, COSLA stresses its belief that all public services which are locally delivered should also be locally accountable.

It says citizens must be informed and engaged in decisions over the range of local services and the way they use them. It adds: 'Crucially, they must be able to use their vote to change who runs public services in their area. It is a powerful incentive for review and continuous improvement.'

According to COSLA, surveys have repeatedly shown that, because of the clear accountability provided by local government, the public see councils as the most accessible and the most trusted tier of elected representation.

The response says partnership arrangements with other public sector bodies, or extending the scrutiny role of elected members to cover all locally delivered public services, will increasingly play a part in exposing services to local democratic accountability.

Discussing how those arrangements might work, the response states: 'In the first instance, COSLA will examine how best to expose the following functions to local democratic accountability - regeneration and local economic development, health improvement and primary health care and further education – and make an assessment of the impact on the quality and efficiency of service delivery.'

McCabe is now considering responses to the consultation document including the outcome of a series of 'dialogue' events that have been held throughout Scotland. However, any future plans for a reorganisation of public services will depend on the outcome of the Scottish parliament election on 3 May.

PFfeb2007

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