In a speech to council leaders, the Secretary of State for Scotland will make clear that there is no route to a decent and prosperous Scotland without strong and effective councils. And to ensure that, the Scottish Government must properly devolve funding and powers to Scotland’s local authorities,
Mr Alexander will set out how the promise of devolution has not been delivered, with the Scottish Government deprioritising councils for funding, and centralising powers at Holyrood. Twenty five years on from the advent of devolution, Mr Alexander will call for a new crusade for devolution within Scotland, for a proper debate on the delivery of powers from Holyrood to the regions and communities of Scotland.
Mr Alexander is expected to say
“During recent decades, Scottish local government has been systematically deprioritised for funding. Scotland’s local authorities have watched their powers being pulled to Holyrood rather than further devolved to local communities. There has never been a point where councils have been so persistently on the defensive – fighting cuts on an annual basis in order to defend an ever-shrinking core of services from further erosion.
“The Scottish Parliament should have heralded a new era of powers, esteem and resource – not just for Scotland, but also for Scottish local government. And yet the reality is that Scottish local government has been systematically starved of funds over the last two decades.
“At exactly the same time as these funding cuts we have also seen the systematic centralisation of decision-making in Holyrood, including on policing and fire and rescue. At the same time the Scottish Government has constrained council tax powers via national freezes and caps.
“It is now time for a new crusade for devolution within Scotland, to reach back to the core principles upon which our parliament was founded and restore the values of devolution. We must allow the Scottish Parliament to realise its potential to deliver change and reform for the people of Scotland. And Scotland’s local authorities, regardless of party allegiance, must be at the forefront of that cause.”
Mr Alexander will make clear this debate must be guided by the principle that powers are best exercised as close as possible to the people, rather than hoarded centrally, to the exclusion of local decision-making and accountability.