MSPs slam ‘secret’ talks on local government concordat

8 Jun 09
Council leaders and the Scottish Government have been accused of denying the public and MSPs vital information on the progress of a policy concordat by holding talks in secret

29 May 2009

By David Scott in Edinburgh

Council leaders and the Scottish Government have been accused of denying the public and MSPs vital information on the progress of a policy concordat by holding talks in secret.

Conservative MSP David McLetchie told the Holyrood local government and communities committee on May 27 that it was a ‘ludicrous state of affairs’ that discussions on national issues were held privately between councils and the government.

The concordat, drawn up after the Scottish National Party came to power, was said to usher in a new era of co-operation between local and national government in Scotland.

McLetchie’s comments, which resulted in a heated exchange with Rory Mair, chief executive of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, came as a row developed over East Renfrewshire Council’s decision to raise class sizes to 30 pupils.

This conflicts with the Cosla agreement to take steps to reduce class sizes to 18 for early years primary pupils.

Several MSPs on the local government committee questioned Mair and the Scottish Government’s director of public service reform, John Ewing, over difficulties in assessing whether targets are being met.

McLetchie, the MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, was told by the two officers that bi-monthly meetings were held between Cosla and Cabinet secretaries at which the council leaders were asked what progress was being made against specific commitments.

They admitted that information on these ‘conversations’ were not published or reported. McLetchie retorted: ‘So the information on these is a state secret?’

The MSP added: ‘As a Parliament we have a responsibility to oversee the implementation of national commitments and they should not be the subject only of a private conversation between local authorities and national government. It is a ludicrous state of affairs.’

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