Letter: At your service

Your article, “Cuts to come for new councillors” (10 May), is frustrating on many levels.

Firstly, the tabloid-friendly statistic from Audit Scotland, that “councils spend £40,000 per minute”, will elicit equally tabloid responses: our local authorities and other public sector bodies should close early every day and save the nation some cash.

Second, this data is meaningless without a proper understanding of the context. This money is spent largely on services such as education, social services and care for older people; as such, it is hardly without real value.

Of most frustration, though, is that the knee-jerk response to very difficult financial constraints must be immediate cuts to services.

Scotland’s new councillors do have difficult decisions to make, foremost among which will be in addressing the challenges of a nation where demand for public services is increasing considerably and financial resources falling.

This undoubtedly requires robust transformation of our public services, delivering savings and improving the lives of our most vulnerable people. But this requires more than short-term thinking.

Our councillors should instead be thinking about promoting better co-operation across public bodies; more partnering with the third sector, small and medium-sized enterprises and social enterprises; and a fundamental rebalancing of citizens’ relationship with the state and their communities, including through early intervention and prevention.

Let’s hope our newly elected politicians do the mature thing: work together responsibly on the long-term priorities for our country.

David Welsh

iMPOWER Consulting

Prospect Bank Crescent

Edinburgh