Council mergers could be given the green light under plans being considered by the First Minister, with legislation allowing local authorities to come together under active discussion by SNP Ministers.
John Swinney will lay out his legislative plans for the year in his Programme for Government on Tuesday. Reforming the public sector will be a priority as the minority Scottish Government is facing a £4.7bn black hole by 2030.
Voluntary mergers under consideration
Sources said the Government may commit to enabling legislation that would allow councils to merge on a voluntary basis. One insider said it would be an “early step” on the road to reforming local government more widely, a process that would be based on public consent.
With councils having their own mandates, Ministers would be against forcing through mergers. Any legislation could also give more flexibility to city regions while stopping short of backing elected mayors.
Councillor warns on costs
A senior councillor said: “Any reorganisation of local government must be through choice and not by imposition by the Scottish Government. It should also involve full consultation with communities before any decisions are taken.
“While merging councils may generate long-term savings the upfront costs will be significant as we have seen from previous reorganisations. Also, bigger is not always better as we see from the relative performances of councils in many service areas.”
Swinney pledges radical change
It comes as Swinney vowed “radical change” over the next five years, pledging “significant” reform of public services. Speaking to the Press Association, Swinney said of Tuesday’s keynote address: “I think it’s a landmark moment for the Parliament because this will be a Parliament of radical change in Scotland.”
The FM, who decisively won May’s Holyrood election, said: “In the next five-year term there will have to be a significant amount of reform and restructuring of the way in which we organise ourselves in the country and how we deliver public services.”
Swinney added: “I want to ensure we improve public services, to improve the lives of people in Scotland. And we have to be prepared to reform to do exactly that.”
He said: “I am conscious, although the SNP did very, very well in the election, and we have got a gap between us and our nearest rival party that is bigger than at any other moment in the history of devolution, we still don’t command a majority of the Scottish Parliament.
“So we have to approach the Parliament in a way that seeks to work with others to improve the lives of the people of Scotland.”
