Scotsman Archive

Convention of Burghs and devolution, 11 March, 1950

AFTER an hour's discussion in Edinburgh yesterday the Convention of Royal Burghs agreed in principle to a plan of devolution for Scotland, embodying an elected central authority for Scottish affairs, and a system of regional councils. The plan is based on a report by a special committee on devolution. The most outspoken opposition to self-government came from an Edinburgh Labour councillor, who maintained that the electors had decided against it at the General Election. Mr Norman S Main, the town clerk of Linlithgow, pointed out that parliament was very much overloaded with work particularly since the development of the idea of the welfare state. It had so many things to do that it must delegate a great deal of its functions, and that took the form of delegating to departments with very wide powers. The result was a serious encroachment on local government, one reason why home rule was in the ascendant.

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