Local Government Committee, 01 Feb 2000
Meeting date: Tuesday, February 1, 2000
Official Report
193KB pdf
Covenant with Parliament
I suggest that we deal first with the report on the covenant between local government and the Scottish Parliament. Members have copies of the report of a meeting with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, attended by the clerk and myself. The purpose of the meeting was to pull together a first-stage discussion around the question of the relationship between local government and the Scottish Parliament and between local government and the Executive.
It was clear from the meeting last week that COSLA is anxious to have as productive a relationship as possible with the Scottish Executive, with the Parliament and with the Local Government Committee, and would like to have an initial discussion with the Parliament. We have to address ourselves to a number of questions, the first of which is how the joint group between the Scottish Parliament and local government would work. Separately, we will have to consider how the relationship between the Executive and local government will work and what role there would be for the Local Government Committee in both relationships. I think that our role will be quite different in each case. In the relationship between the Executive and local government, we may have a more scrutinising role; in the relationship between the Parliament and local government, we may have a more proactive role.
It was suggested that COSLA would produce a draft of the covenant. I thought it was important that, from the earliest stages, we should have some sort of shared ownership of that document so that, when it came to this committee, we already would have been through some of the early discussions. It would not be as if COSLA were approaching us asking us to consider the covenant; it would have been produced in partnership. I suggest that we ask one of our number to be a reporter to the committee on those matters. Along with others, as appropriate, that member could meet COSLA to pull together a first draft that could be presented to the committee.
I suggest that the convener would be the most appropriate person to undertake that task, partly because it would underline the seriousness with which COSLA has been dealing with this question. I am conscious that COSLA pulled together in its working party a number of busy people who were willing to make the commitment to it. It would be good if we sent back the same message that we take this matter seriously. I am happy to answer any questions or to allow any points to be made about the meeting, but I hope that we can agree that we will ask Trish Godman to report to us on a draft covenant, which we can consider at a later stage.
Are there any questions or comments?
I agree with the point that you made that we must have joint working. It would be a pity if the whole of the first draft was a COSLA draft. We should have some input before the report gets to the draft stage. With regard to the point that you touched on earlier, there are three players—the Executive, this committee and COSLA—so we could have a three-legged forum, committee or whatever, or we can have our own forum and the Executive can have its own forum. I favour this committee having its own relationship with local government, free from the Executive, which can work out its own relationship. I am happy with your suggestions, convener.
That was the key issue that was explored at the initial meeting: would we be looking to pull the three groups together, or would there be two separate bipartite relationships? Given that the Executive and local government have a responsibility to work together, it was my feeling that we might have a scrutinising role to play, or be able to intervene when there are problems.
Our relationship with local government is different from the Scottish Parliament's. It is proposed that the joint conference should comprise 15 representatives from local government and 15 from the Scottish Parliament, but the Parliament representatives would not necessarily be drawn from this committee. Those are the wee practical issues that we need to work on. However, there is no doubt that underpinning those issues is the fact that there is a clear relationship between the Parliament, and perhaps this committee, and local government, but that there is a separate job to be done in constructing a relationship between the Executive and local government.
Do we agree that Trish Godman will be a reporter on those matters, and that we will be looking for a draft report as soon as is reasonable?
Members indicated agreement.