@joncarrwest
✨ New! LGIU’s Future Local Lab launches today 🔗 lgiu.org/future-local-l… Making sure that #localgov everywhere can learn from the very best in thought leadership and innovation being developed by colleagues worldwide in response to shared challengesView quoted post on X
.@joncarrwest @LGiU looks ahead to a year that promises to be anything but predictableView quoted post on X
themj.co.uk/a-year-of-refo… via @themjcouk
🎉 We are so excited to unveil the outstanding shortlist for the 2024 LGIU & CCLA Cllr Awards in Eng & Wales...🥁 drum roll please... 🎉 ⬇️ ⬇️View quoted post on X
lgiu.org/events/cllr-aw…
Financial Sustainability in Scottish local government
Speaking to @SP_LocalGov, LGIU Chief Executive @joncarrwest gave evidence alongside Abdool Kara from the National Audit Office.
Drawing on learnings from LGIU's Local Democracy Research Centre, and our extensive membership network in the UK and internationally, key areas raised included:
- The trajectory of increasing demand, reduced grant funding from 2010 and the increased risk level from certain council commercialisation projects in English local government.
- Moving the deck chairs on financial accountability and the need to empower and encourage professionalisation amongst elected members for scrutiny.
- A greater basket of revenue-raising options and the need to expand the autonomy to raise local revenue levers to recognise the diversity of Scotland's 32 councils.
- A place-based approach to breaking demand cycles in housing, education, and social care to move towards the preventative models which the sector recognises as imperative.
- Breaking the "pilot purgatory" where great ideas and innovations fail to get joined up across a system.
- Time to worry about local government financial resilience in Scotland was yesterday. The lesson from England is do not wait for things to fall over.
- Verity House Agreement. Better to have it than not have it, but the real disappointment over key principles being bypassed necessitates real demonstration from Scottish Government to show its commitment and deliver.
Thank you to the committee for the insightful questions and discussions on what is the most important issue for the future of local government.
You can read LGIU's full submission, alongside other submissions from COSLA and Solace to the committee here
parliament.scot/-/media/files/…
@COSLA @improvserv @Solacescotland @ArianeBurgessHIView quoted post on X
