Local Government Finance

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:36 pm on 22 November 2000.

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Photo of Angus MacKay Angus MacKay Labour 2:36, 22 November 2000

That will form part of the discussions that we intend to have with COSLA about the nature of the pilots for outcome agreements. However, it is not difficult to envisage a hypothetical agreement that included a sliding scale in relation to the flexibility attached to ring fencing or hypothecation, depending on the movement towards or the achievement of specific outcomes.

This morning I announced our plans for a power of community initiative and for community planning. A power of community initiative will give councils more scope to engage in activities that can deliver better services for their communities, more quickly and in more innovative ways. It will encourage them to think about what they can do for their communities, rather than what they cannot do. In that way, it will help authorities to be responsive to their partners and to develop cross-cutting approaches to service delivery. We also intend to introduce a statutory underpinning for community planning, which will help each council and its local partners to develop and deliver a shared vision for their community.

Far from undermining local government, the development of the Scottish Parliament has given us the opportunity to review and strengthen the contribution made by local authorities. The spending review announcement provided local government with substantial additional resources—a 10.5 per cent increase in real terms in councils' funding over the next three years. The proposals that I have set out today will give councils the certainty and flexibility that they need to use those resources to deliver real improvements across the range of their responsibilities.

I am delighted that, after 20 years of neglect and failure, this Labour-led partnership for Scotland is delivering real change and qualitative improvement for local government.

I move,

That the Parliament welcomes the improvements in the local government finance system proposed by the Executive and agrees that this will provide greater stability and improve accountability and will contribute to the Executive's aims of revitalising government and ensuring better local services and tax stability for the citizens of Scotland.