Given that the commission was established by a COSLA beset by internal problems, it’s surprising how progressive and
radical the report is.
For me the most the refreshing aspects are its tone and focus. Instead of concentrating on tired discussions about structure and operation they’ve taken a real step back, focussed on principles and adopted a positive approach. This keeps the discussion fresh and engaging stops it getting too bogged down in technicalities.
The acknowledgement that local democracy is about more than local government and representative democracy is also encouraging. This allows them to start a broader and more interesting discussion about how people can participate in democratic processes without restricting discussions to local government.
I’m pleased that participative democracy, where people are directly involved in decision making processes, is a key strand running throughout the report and is clearly considered fundamental to reform. This is something I would also like to see in my own community.
However we shouldn’t forget that we’ve been here before with the Christie Commission, so a healthy dose of cynicism may be required. Christie laid out a path for reforming public services yet progress on implementation has been frustratingly slow.
How radical the Commission is prepared to be will become clear in the next phase when concrete recommendations and proposals take over from principles. Some serious questions have yet to be answered: Will the numerous vested interests at play accept a radical challenge to the status quo? What influence will the referendum play on the outcomes and timetable for change? How well does this report sit with the political parties’ ambitions?
I think the Commission has made an important contribution to the debate around local democracy and should be given credit for producing such a progressive paper. However, until I see the results in my own community and others across Scotland, I will just have to keep hoping these aren’t just more fine words on a page.
Last modified on 23 January 2020
