Readers' letters: Scotland's local councils are ripe for radical reform
A reader suggests that Scottish local government is not fit for purpose, and major reform is required
The decision to increase councillor salaries has, not unsurprisingly, attracted some attention. The current system seems to have emerged almost in the same way as that of the Rotary Club. The ethos of this was to have a wide range of “professionals” meeting to do good in the form of activities, open to all, supportive of all in their community. Any “salary” was, in essence, a stipend and an acknowledgement that good work was being done.
What has changed is that the structure within which these councillors now operate is completely unfit for purpose. Our local authorities are grotesquely swollen: Lesley Riddoch regularly points out that many European countries which have empowered local democracy see greater voter turn out and engagement. “The average Norwegian municipality has 12,500 people – the average Scottish council serves 162,500.”
The result of this discrepancy is neo-feudalism: councillors working full-time hours, on a part time salary, leaving only the independently wealthy, the retired or the partner of someone willing to bankroll them as the available candidates.
These people are then asked to oversee full-time council officers, often on huge salaries, who are working with budgets in the tens of millions. Part-time politicians overseeing a full-time civil service – Jim Hacker two days a week while Sir Humphrey has it all his own way.
In Highland, our councillors regularly have to travel thousands of miles a month just to visit constituents, or attend meetings, within their own ward. They can reclaim their fuel costs; they cannot reclaim their time away from family and other responsibilities.
Public service is fundamental foundation of a civil society. We need to examine the system as it currently exists and see how we can incorporate those original, noble, Rotarian aims into today’s regional authority systems and broaden the participation opportunities at local authority level.
Radical action may well be necessary.
Rebecca Machin, Edderton, Highland
Elected mayors
An interesting article from Murdo Fraser MSP (Scotsman August 21) on the prospect of big city mayors. All well and good but where would they get the cash to do things?
In any democracy there must be a clear link between spending and income, which certainly does not exist in local government, in Scotland at the moment! Too much central control.
William Ballantine, Bo,ness, West Lothian
Seller inflation
The Bank of England’s inflation index shows general goods and services are 23 per cent more expensive now than in 2020. The rate of increase has slowed, but prices continue to rise.
Across the pond, Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, recently highlighted seller inflation as a driver of recent consumer price rises: powerful corporates, especially in the food sector, could face new antitrust legislation were she to be elected. Welcomed by voters, this has caused furore among economists – with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, deeming the proposal communistic. The evidence for policy change, however, is compelling.
The economic debate here may be more easily squared if seller inflation (or “price gouging” as it’s becoming known), can be linked more directly to the excessive profits that powerful corporates can generate, especially during inflationary times.
Market economists (of whatever political persuasion), deem excessive profits a significant market inefficiency which reduces overall economic welfare – thus providing grounds for legitimate intervention via an appropriate rebalancing mechanism, such as the windfall tax we have in energy. Economic power, however, is also concentrated other sectors vital to UK consumers (for example, banking and insurance, pharmaceuticals, food retail, clothing, mobile, broadband, digital retail etc), where prices hikes can leave demand largely unaffected.
This is an industry-specific phenomenon, not an excuse for general price control by the back door. Accordingly, giving industry regulators sharper teeth to intervene on behalf of the consumer, without fear or favour, could be a useful starting point.
With its big majority, the hope is the new government is alert to all of this and is prepared to act on behalf of all who have suffered (and continue to suffer) under the current cost-of-living crisis
Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire
Songs of praise
Andrew HN Gray (Letters, August 20) doesn’t seem to see how incongruous it is that a “National” anthem can apply to one only of the nations that make up the UK. The clue is in the title of the competition: the Six Nations Championship. If we’re going to have national anthems, that’s one for each nation. Time for England to get their own song.
In any case, why on Earth, before a game, should we be singing a hymn asking a god to save a person called a king? What’s that got to do withrugby?
Hywel Williams, Edinburgh
Tickled pink
On the subject of a national Anthem for Scotland, it is clear that we need a song that will put a spring in the step and a twinkle of the eye of any Scot. Could I respectfully suggest that Stop Yer Ticklin’ Jock would be ideal in fulfilling that aim.
Richard J Gordon, Jedburgh, Scottish Borders
Power retained
We all know that Mary Thomas (Letters, August 21) wishes Scotland were a sovereign country and applauds the SNP for pretending that it is such. She is clearly oblivious to the general consensus now that the SNP has seriously damaged Scotland over the years by spending recklessly in an ad hoc manner. Take João Sousa, deputy director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, who says: “Lack of prudent planning by Scottish Government is a major part of the story… The 2024-25 Budget was passed with no set pay policy.” The SNP regime’s conduct has been an object lesson in what happens when you do not understand the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Ms Thomas is cut from the same cloth, failing to understand the complete shambles that was Lorna Slater’s Green Deposit Return Scheme and predictably blaming Westminster for its withdrawal. The bourach over which the SNP has presided is the single best reason for retaining the Scotland Office and the Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC). If the SNP cannot conduct government effectively and prudently, it is essential that there is a backstop to prevent them from destroying us altogether. Westminster bypassing the SNP regime and the SAC examining decisions at Holyrood is essential if Scotland is not to sink even further into poor governance and a financial black hole.
Devolution of powers was expected to result in responsible governance. That we do not have in Scotland. Nationalists need to remember that Holyrood is a devolved assembly within a sovereign unit, the UK. Why would the UK not wish to scrutinise its activities and ensure that they are not damaging Scotland?
Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh
Intent to murder
It is about time that we grasped the nettle on the growing use of guns, the possession of dangerous knives and the distribution of hard drugs.
All these criminal activities eventually result in people dying and all should be subject to the same penalty, for it is effectively “intent to murder”.
If you are carrying a weapon or distributing hard drugs it means that you intend to hurt or kill.
In addition, those who are involved in the market of supplying of all three of these must be treated the same. This should apply to shopkeepers and online marketing companies as well as the usual criminal gangs.
John Cutland, Kirkcaldy, Fife
Decades in making
“Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe” is the annually repeated news from the BBC and much of the UK mainstream media in a simplistic casting of the blame on the SNP Scottish Government.
Each death due to a drug overdose is highly regrettable but it is a gross disservice to the deceased and his or her family to lay all the blame on a government that did not exist when the seeds of this current tragedy were sown and still today does not have drug policy powers. During the de-industrialisation of Glasgow and Dundee there were no serious “transition plans” enacted by either Tory or Labour UK governments and still today neither party in government is prepared to support devolution of drug policy.
The Scottish Government appears to be earnestly attempting to tackle this devastating scourge and in spite of resistance from the UK Government should have the long-awaited first UK “safer drug consumption facility” up and running shortly.
This will complement the range of measures already undertaken by the Scottish Government but there is no magic wand that Holyrood can wave to suddenly bring a disastrous consequence of decades of deprivation to an end, especially as the Scottish Government still does not have the power to decriminalise the use of drugs. Perhaps instead of seeking more ways to undermine the elected Scottish Government our newly appointed Secretary of State for Scotland could seek to work with the Scottish Government to seriously tackle this fatal scourge on all fronts across the “United Kingdom”.
Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian
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