Meeting of the Parliament 11 June 2026 [Last updated 19:16]
I thank the member for his comments. He can rest assured that all my Cabinet colleagues are 100 per cent on board with this important agenda and the First Minister has his weight behind it. We have the strategy, which lays out everything that needs to be done across 18 workstreams. People have asked why there are so many workstreams—as many as 18—and the reason is precisely that, as Mr Rennie identifies, there is an awful lot of work to be done here across a very broad front. That is laid out, with more than 80 actions, and we are moving forward on all of those, because it is important that they come together as we take the agenda forward.
The empowerment of communities is critical to our agenda—communities coming together to address the unique needs and challenges of their local area; working hand in hand with the public sector in bringing new ideas and fresh thinking on how to deliver better services and improve people’s lives; taking ownership and stewardship of lands and buildings, thanks to legislation from the Government; and being partners in how services are designed, making sure that they are focused on what is important to people locally. Our democracy matters work has shown that there is a real appetite for people to have more control and influence over how services are designed and—importantly—how money is spent.
Service delivery must also adapt to meet the unique needs of rural, island and urban areas. Our single-authority model, working with island communities, is leading the way on how integration of services locally can improve service delivery. By empowering communities further, we will build capacity in all our towns, villages and neighbourhoods to do more, making public services more agile, responsive and accountable to the people that they serve.
Public service reform is also very important in unlocking improvements through empowering the staff who work in our services and who know them best to come forward with ideas to make those services better and their work more fulfilling. I will be clear: a culture that does not empower staff, and leaders who do not see that as central to their role, must change. Organisations that are excessively hierarchical, with multiple layers of management, and stifling to innovation, need to change. We will work closely with our trade union partners to deliver that change.
No one who uses or works in public services would say that they are as streamlined or seamless as they should be. Everyone can identify waste in the system. That is why efficiency is a core part of public service reform—tackling duplication; sharing services across organisations; making better use of data, digital tools and our public estate; and being honest about where we can improve.
That is why we have set ambitious targets. Every pound that is saved through doing things better is a pound that we can invest in care, education and communities.
That is not something that the Government can do alone. Partnership is required with public bodies, local government, trade unions, businesses and communities—and across parties. Everyone will want to provide excellent public services.
Every party recognises the need for change—although, to be fair, in their amendments, some have articulated that more coherently than have others. The Parliament can come together to deliver the change that is needed. I am more than happy to work with colleagues who are here today to make that possible. I invite members to work with me, give me their positive ideas and ensure with me that our public services continue to meet the expectations and needs of the people of Scotland.
I move,
That the Parliament welcomes that the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Strategy centres on the importance of prevention in the development of public services; believes that it is vital to empower staff, service users and local communities to be part of the design and delivery of services that meet the needs of the people of Scotland, and agrees that the delivery of excellent and sustainable public services should be the goal of public service reform, rather than the preservation of existing corporate structures.