Meeting of the Parliament 03 March 2026 [Draft]
Addressing our conference on the 25th anniversary of devolution, the dear departed Jim Wallace said:
“The Constitutional Convention, whose final report is peppered with references to the European Charter of Local Self Government, concluded that in any future review of local government, ‘the aim of the Parliament should be, firstly, to safeguard and where possible increase the area of discretion available at the level of the local authority.’
The story of the Scottish Parliament under SNP administrations, however, has been one of increasing centralisation. Local taxation again is dictated by central government. Police and fire services have been centralised in a way which hasn’t exactly covered the idea in glory. Local courts have been closed. Local government funding has been squeezed further than overall Holyrood expenditure, thus limiting the scope for local initiative. As someone who believes in decentralised decision-making, this is very troubling.”
That is why I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Liberal Democrats will support the bill at the final vote on its reconsideration. I was proud to be a signatory to Andy Wightman’s bill in the previous session of Parliament. At its heart, the legislation is grounded in a straightforward principle that was encapsulated in the words of Jim Wallace that we just heard: namely, that decisions that affect communities should be taken as close to those communities as possible.
For too long, power in Scotland has become increasingly centralised. Local government has too often been treated less as a democratic partner and more as a delivery arm for the will of this national Government. That imbalance has not served our communities well. The bill seeks to strengthen that relationship. Parliament originally passed the legislation with strong cross-party support, of which we have heard something this afternoon. Following the Supreme Court judgment, we have had to revisit certain provisions to ensure that the bill sits clearly within our competence.
The amendments that have been agreed to during reconsideration respond directly and proportionately to that judgment. Although the scope is narrower than first envisaged, the legislation that is now before us is legally robust and capable of moving forward without further delay. That matters, because another referral would only prolong uncertainty for our local government partners and for the communities that they serve.
Crucially, the bill still represents meaningful progress, as it embeds the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government into Scots law and strengthens the expectations of that partnership and of mutual respect and shared responsibility between national and local government. Good relationships cannot rely on good will alone. Clear statutory principles help to shape culture, clarify responsibilities and reinforce accountability.
Later in his words to our conference, Jim Wallace said:
“A new balance between the Scottish Parliament and local government and local communities needs to be struck. Parliament, in partnership with local government, should have the confidence and vision to ensure that the spirit of local government and local determination is revitalised. The extent to which Parliament can rise to the challenge of reforming local government finance and revitalising local democracy should be a measure of its success in the next quarter century, if not earlier.”
In the lines and pages of the bill that we will pass this afternoon, we are, in some way, reaching for the challenge that Jim Wallace described. That is why the Liberal Democrats will support the bill.