Question reference: S6W-14584
- Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 2 February 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 15 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with COSLA about ensuring resilience within local authorities to continue delivering externally-commissioned statutory services in the event of provider failure.
Answer
I regularly meet with representatives of COSLA including through a monthly relationship meeting with their Presidential Team. Those discussions provide the opportunity for COSLA to raise areas of priority for local government with me and we jointly consider what support the Scottish Government can potentially provide - discussion on this specific issue have not taken place to date.
It is for individual councils to plan for the operation of services, including contingency planning, particularly where these are needed to fulfil their statutory duties. The Scottish Government does engage with and involve COSLA on behalf of local authorities on what they might need to support those responsibilities, including funding but also guidance and other materials.