Good morning, everyone, unless you have been following the meeting—in which case, welcome back. I am sure that someone out there is following this online.
Item 2 is an evidence session on the implications for Scottish local government of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. My script says that today’s session will take place in a round-table format—no, it will not. However, we have a number of witnesses attending. First, I convey apologies from David Eiser, a research associate of the Fraser of Allander institute at the University of Strathclyde, who was hoping to come along today but who is unable to make it.
I welcome Councillor David O’Neill, president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; Jim Savege, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers and chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council; Helen Martin, assistant secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress; Professor James Mitchell, co-director of the academy of government at the University of Edinburgh; and Stuart Black, Highlands and Islands European partnership and director of development and infrastructure at Highland Council. Thank you, everyone, for coming to this short session on the implications of Brexit for Scottish—indeed, United Kingdom—local government.
10:30
I will open the questioning by asking about one of the most striking aspects of funding for local government. As you will know, politicians are often drawn to the public pound and want to see what the financial position is. I see that the level of funding from European structural funds has been guaranteed to be met by the UK Government up until 2020. Someone might want to clarify that, but that is my understanding. Local authorities deliver roughly 30 per cent of those funds and, from 2014 to 2020, that will be roughly 30 per cent of about £900 million, depending on what is committed. That is a huge chunk of cash trickling through local authorities.
My local authority, Glasgow City Council, is the most significant delivery agent of those moneys and, as a constituency MSP, I am concerned about what could happen post-2020. Anything that our witnesses could say about assurances that have been given or the process pre-2020 would be very welcome, given that around £450 million is still to be allocated through that process. That might be a good starting point—following the moneys and highlighting any reassurances or concerns that there are about the process pre-2020 or what will happen after 2020.