Glasgow council leaders unite against plan that could split the city into smaller units
SNP, Labour and Green leaders at the City Chambers have tabled a joint motion opposing Scottish Government reform ideas that would replace Scotland's 32 councils. It will be debated next week.
The council chamber at Glasgow City Chambers, where the cross-party motion will be debated next week. · Photograph: Michael D Beckwith (CC0)
The leaders of the SNP, Labour and Green groups on Glasgow City Council have joined forces to oppose local government reform proposals that could see the council abolished and the city split into smaller units.
A joint motion from the three parties will be debated at the City Chambers next week, the Glasgow Times reports.
What is being proposed?
The Scottish Government is considering public service reform proposals that would scrap the current 32 councils and create between six and 10 larger councils, alongside hundreds of smaller community authorities. For Glasgow, that could mean the city council being divided into many smaller local units while a larger regional council is created above them.
Who is opposing it?
Council leader Ricky Bell of the SNP, Labour group leader Rashid Hussain and Green councillor Jon Molyneux have drawn up the joint motion. It makes what they call a special case for Glasgow.
The motion states: "There is a strong case to not split Glasgow into smaller administrative units. Council notes that in Nordic countries, which have two-tier systems similar to the approach the Scottish Government is proposing, the main cities are largely kept as extant wholes."
What does the motion say about funding?
It says reform must not be about saving money. The motion reads: "Reform should be focused on improving outcomes and empowering local government so it is better able to respond to local needs. It should not be driven by cost-cutting. Local Government has been and continues to be disproportionately under-funded by the Scottish Government."
It adds: "The Government is deeply misguided if it thinks there are significant savings to be made from local government reorganisation."
The motion highlights "the unique role Glasgow plays as Scotland's largest city and regional economic centre" and the pressures of poverty, homelessness and health inequalities. It says any future settlement "must properly recognise the financial, social and economic responsibilities borne by the city on behalf of the wider region".
What happens next?
The motion will be debated at a meeting of Glasgow City Council next week. If it is passed, the council will write to the First Minister and to Cosla, the body representing Scotland's councils, to make its case.