Chamber and committees

The Democracy Matters Route Map (Published jointly with COSLA in May 2026) outlined the direction of travel to further empower communities and enhance local communities.

Options for how the components of the Route Map are delivered are currently being considered, including how community led plans might be supported to ensure public services better meet local needs and priorities.

We will continue to engage with partners across the public sector and civil society to understand potential implications for community bodies including Community Councils and how resources can best support communities.

Single Authority Models are a key component within the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Strategy, and the joint statement with COSLA on the Local Governance Review published in March 2026, confirmed our ongoing commitment to this foundational reform. We will continue to work with local partners across the three participating geographies to develop and refine proposals which best meet the needs of their communities. This will involve developing plans for implementation and supporting a process of widespread engagement, in particular with local communities and relevant workforces over 2026-2027.

The National Treatment Centres are currently delivering one cataract every 30 minutes as per the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ guidelines.

The expansion of the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub to provide a national pathway to brief psychological interventions for those would benefit from early treatment but would not meet the criteria to access local specialist secondary care mental health services launched in December 2025. This is providing treatment from professionals appropriately trained in psychological practice. The expansion also allows people calling the Hub access to existing digital psychological therapies. This is helping to improve early identification of the need for support and timely access to early intervention support to prevent mental health issues escalating, support for life events, and to help people cope with physical health conditions.

Since the initial launch and in line with this government’s manifesto commitment, improvement work will continue to ensure the service can increase the number of people who can benefit from treatment.

The Scottish Government is clear that people should be able to receive the support they need, at the earliest opportunity based on need, and this should not be dependent on formal diagnosis.

Although colleges operate independently of government and universities are autonomous, they are responsible for ensuring students are supported in their learning. Students are encouraged to engage with student support, wellbeing and learning support services, through which needs can be identified and reasonable adjustments put in place. Institutions are supported by Scottish Government funding: the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) delivered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland; the Access and Inclusion Fund in colleges; and the Disabled Students’ Premium which supports inclusive learning and reasonable adjustments for students with additional needs, including those not eligible for DSA.

For school pupils, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, places duties on education authorities and other agencies to identify, meet and review additional support needs, including those arising from neurodevelopmental differences. To support parents/carers, young people and children, the Scottish Government also funds Enquire, the national advice and information service on additional support for learning and My Rights My Say, which supports children aged 12 and over, enabling them to understand and exercise their rights and participate fully in decisions about their education.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published the Coming Home Action Plan in March 2026. The action plan is backed by Scottish Government funding of up to £20m to support implementation. The majority of this funding will be distributed via the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland through the creation of a new Coming Home fund.

No timeline has been set on releasing hospital beds through this new fund. In line with a person-centred approach and to ensure safe and supportive transitions, all moves from hospital to the community will progress at the pace appropriate for each person to ensure their individual needs are met.

Data on the number of children accessing Bairns’ Hoose services is not currently collected by the Scottish Government. This reflects the current phase of the Bairns’ Hoose programme and the different stages that partnerships are at in their journey towards developing Bairns’ Hoose services. Work is underway with partnerships to develop a standardised approach to data collection to support future monitoring.

Bairns’ Hoose is specifically for those children who have experienced abuse, neglect or exploitation which has caused, or is likely to cause, significant harm and is not intended to support all children who have been through the court system. The first Bairns’ Hoose open its doors in 2023 with national rollout planned from 2027.

Grant awards for projects supported with grant through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) for social rent will vary across Scotland based on a number of factors such as tenure, location, property type, property size, client group and a range of other variables.

The Scottish Government collects and publishes information on the total number of households and children in temporary accommodation. This information, broken down by local authority, can be found in:

• Table 27 and Table 29, respectively, of the Main Annual tables Supporting documents - Homelessness in Scotland: 2024-25 - gov.scot. This provides snapshot data as at 31 March from 2021 to 2025.
• Table 17 and Table 19, respectively, of the Biannual tables Supporting documents - Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2025 - gov.scot. This provides the most recent snapshot data available (up to 30 September 2025).

Local Authorities are legally required to set a balanced budget for each upcoming financial year and all 32 councils agreed balanced budgets for 2026-27, ahead of the statutory deadline of 11 March 2026.

The Scottish Government appreciate the pressures facing Local Government and that’s why the Local Government Settlement provided record funding of £15.7 billion for 2026-27, including a quarter of a billion pounds of unrestricted General Revenue Grant and full flexibility on council tax. The vast majority of funding allocated by the Scottish Government is provided by means of a block grant and it is then for individual Local Authorities to allocate the total resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, including for Social Care Support for people at home.

The Scottish Government has a long history of working with COSLA and Local Authorities to make sure council finances are sustainable and that available resources can meet long-term commitments. Decisions on future Local Government Settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 Local Authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.