Concerns that Councils currently do not have the skills base they will need for this journey was one of the main themes of the inquiry, raised by most stakeholders, including Councils themselves.iStirling Council, written submission; South Ayrshire Council, written submission; Official Report, 25 Jan 2022, col 17 (CBI Scotland) This report has already raised it in one context - attracting institutional investors to municipal-level capital projects - but it arose in other areas during the inquiry, such as:
spatial planning;iiOfficial Report, NZET Committee, 14 June 2022, col 17 (Homes For Scotland)
procurement;iiiOfficial Report, NZET Committee, 25 Jan 2022, col 29 (CBI Scotland)
building standards;ivWest Dunbartonshire Council, written submission; Official Report, 25 Jan 2022, col 21 (CBI Scotland); 14 June 2022, col 17 (Homes For Scotland)
environmental assessment and management;vOfficial Report, NZET Committee, cols 38-39 (NatureScot)
more broadly, any role in any council department that requires specialist data gathering on, or assessment of, greenhouse gas emissions.viEast Lothian Council, written submission; Midlothian Council, written submission; Heads of Planning Scotland, written submission; Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, written submission; Improvement Service, written submission
These concerns were partly about absolute numbers: building standards officers and -as discussed further below- planners were two roles in relation to which it was acknowledged that Councils were experiencing staffing shortages that needed to be addressed.