COUNCIL COMMENT What’s really behind the SNP’s decision-making?

What are councils for? How important is local decision-making and taking into account local needs?

I pose these questions because there is an increasing cross-party consensus that local councils are being ignored at a time of new and growing pressures while their powers are being significantly diluted or in some cases even removed.

I was very interested to read the recent comments made by Councillor Ian Nicholson, who is the SNP leader of Renfrewshire Council.

He wrote: “In my own view it is time for national politicians to grasp the nettle and be clear on the role of local government, recognise the value of local decision-making and its vital role in delivering front-line public services”.

He called on the Scottish Government to give local councils “our place”. Despite different political affiliations, I believe Ian Nicholson speaks on behalf of the majority of councillors in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recently announced they would be giving additional powers to head teachers and setting up regional boards to monitor educational provision. This is despite their own consultation telling them that it was unwarranted and unnecessary.

This decision has significantly diluted – and effectively removed – the current statutory powers which local authorities have in delivering educational provision.

These proposals have been branded “incoherent” by academics, stating that regional boards were “authoritarian, unwanted, bureaucratic and hierarchical”.

This announcement is part of an ongoing ideological drive by the SNP to centralise powers to Edinburgh and remove local accountability from communities across Scotland.

This is only part of the current strategy which is to centralise and control by Scottish Government ministers.

From the creation of Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, Zero Waste Scotland through to this latest announcement on changes to education, the voices of local people have been removed and are being ignored.

Another illustration of this is the ever-increasing role of Zero Waste Scotland with direct accountability to Scottish Government.

Their clear directive that all councils must recycle 60 per cent of household waste by 2020 poses significant challenges to all councils.

If North Lanarkshire fails to meet this target we will be required to pay in excess of £100 per tonne to dispose of household waste which, on an annual basis, will amount to £1.6m. The only discretion councils now have is to pay this financial penalty or substantially change our collection models.

While the majority of councillors have always had very strong feelings regarding the collection of residual waste, it is now apparent that our flexibility and responsibility in decision-making has been largely diluted as a result of these targets.

This has resulted in 26 of the 32 councils now moving to change their bin collection schedule and, reluctantly, that will now have to include North Lanarkshire.

I now think there is a critical need for a mature debate with the Scottish Government in order that ministers can clarify their views on the future role of local government.

In the absence of this, I am genuinely concerned for the future of local democracy and local councils.

Ideological drive by the SNP to centralise powers to Edinburgh and remove local accountability across Scotland

Jim Waste fears Logue fears councils won’t meet waste targets set by the government

Changes North Lanarkshire Council has reluctantly had to alter its bin collection schedule