UNISON Edinburgh Commission Responses

The Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament

The Commission has been appointed by the Secretary of State to consider the relationship between local government and the Scottish Parliament and how councils can be responsive and democratically accountable to their local communities.

Branch officers met the Commission recently and responded to its first consultation paper on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament.

Commission Website

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Summary of branch's response to first consultation paper

Any debate on the future of local government has to take account of the massive underfunding it has suffered, branch officers told the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament.

“Cuts over a long period have resulted in vast service reductions and huge job losses”, said Dougie Black, joint branch secretary, launching the branch’s response.

Here we look at the rest of the branch’s response under the Commission’s headings.

Developing the community and local economy

“A strong, vibrant local authority which responds to the needs of the community by delivering effective quality services, properly financed and democratically controlled, is essential to sustain and develop the community and the local economy”, said UNISON’s submission.

“Successful modernised local government needs a workforce that is highly trained and fairly paid, working in partnership with elected members and community groups”.

Local government must exist in its own right and “not be constantly forced into unwelcome and unwanted change at the behest of central government”.

Spending restraint

With councils only able to raise 14% of their expenditure, the imbalance of power between local and central government had to be addressed.

The branch called for an end to capping and for more flexibility to determine spending priorities and freedom to develop and improve services.

The uniform business rate should be returned to local authority control.

Voting systems/ access

We argued that buildings like schools may not be the most accessible venue for some voters and places like libraries and supermarkets should be considered.

The link between a councillor and those who elect him/her must be kept and there should be a system “which allows for the greater participation of women, preferably on a minimum representation basis of 50/50”.

Electoral cycle

UNISON opposed yearly council elections which would be more expensive and less effective. A three or four year term would allow councils to see through longer terms plans.

Debarment of council employees

The democratic deficit that bans 280,000 workers (8% of the electorate) from standing for election to councils must be dealt with.

The current law means many of our members are forced to resign from their jobs if they wish to stand for election.

Decentralisation

The branch supports bringing services closer to the people who use them, and giving communities a say.

Officers outlined how this has been achieved in some Edinburgh projects, but warned its success depended on a partnership with the workforce.

But no amount of consultation with communities would replace the need for elected members to be “accountable for their decisions and action through the ballot box”. Referenda should be optional with councils not being forced into them.

Enhanced powers

The branch supported giving council’s a “general competence” power to free them up from the current restrictive statutory base and allow them to operate much more freely in the interests of the community they serve.

Cabinet/ elected Provost

We opposed plans being floated for a ‘cabinet style’ of local government as undemocratic and likely to result in the authority being driven by a few executive members at arms length to the electorate, and chief officers being forced into a ‘political’ role.

It would create a two-tier council with many powerless elected members.

For the same reasons, UNISON rejected the idea of an elected Lord Provost.

Branch consultation

The Commission will come back with discussion papers based on this consultation.

But this is only this first in a whole series of consultation exercises on the Scottish Parliament and the branch is keen to consult as many members as possible.

However, timescales are inevitably short and documents are therefore being sent to departmental conveners to try to reach members in time.

Copies of this consultation paper and the branch response is available from the branch office.

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