Committee recommends against creating more SPCB supported bodies, as part of wider reform of the Commissioner landscape in Scotland

During a six-month inquiry, the SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review (SSBLR) Committee heard strong evidence that demands and proposals to create more advocacy-focused SPCB supported bodies – commonly known as Commissioners – are happening because public services are, or are perceived to be, failing some people.

However, the cross-party Committee also heard compelling evidence that creating new bodies to address such concerns isn’t necessarily effective nor sustainable, and has concluded that the current Commissioner landscape should not be expanded to include new advocacy-type SPCB supported bodies. It believes concerns about public services can and should be addressed through existing bodies and mechanisms, such as through MSPs, Parliament or Government, or through potentially changing the powers and remits of current bodies.

Building on the earlier work of the Finance and Public Administration Committee into Scotland’s Commissioner Landscape, the SSBLR Committee’s wide-ranging recommendations also include:

• an enhanced Scottish Public Services Ombudsman with the power to conduct own-initiative investigations in the public interest.
• a new formal, stringent process to assess future proposals for new SPCB supported bodies.
• enhanced scrutiny and governance mechanisms, including that a parliamentary committee is given oversight responsibility for the accountability and scrutiny of SPCB supported bodies on a pilot basis in the first instance.
• a strengthened shared services model, ensuring that decisions are driven by principles of best value, regional distribution, long-term cost efficiency, and operational performance and sustainability.

More broadly, the Committee was surprised at the apparent lack of understanding in Government around the functions and potential for overlapping duties amongst the 131 public bodies currently operating in Scotland. It therefore calls for an urgent strategic mapping exercise to be undertaken to clarify roles and reduce duplication across the public sector, as part of the Scottish Government’s wider public service reform programme.

The Committee believes that its recommendations can deliver meaningful reform and strengthen the effectiveness of Scotland’s public sector landscape.

Speaking on publication of the report, Ben Macpherson MSP, Convener of the SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee, said:

“Based on what we heard during our inquiry we consider that each of the current SPCB supported bodies play a role in making sure people have confidence in public institutions and elected representatives.

“However, the evidence we have taken has shown that creating new bodies to address public service failures, or perceived public service failures, isn’t necessarily effective and nor is it sustainable.

“Our recommended package of reforms aims to deliver enhanced governance and accountability of SPCB supported bodies, and ensure that new commissioner bodies are only created as a last resort, when there is a very clear and demonstrable need.

“While the Committee’s recommendations are focused on the SPCB supported bodies, they could be applied to the wider Scottish public body landscape. We hope that our recommendations can be a catalyst for change to help bring about a more coherent and effective Scottish public body landscape.”

The Committee will seek a parliamentary debate in September 2025 to discuss the report’s findings and next steps.