Hansard

The Convener (Trish Godman): Lab

Good morning, comrades.If the SNP and Johann Lamont stop talking, we can start.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): SNP

Does Colin Campbell speak for all of us?

The Convener: Lab

Yes, he speaks for all of you.

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): SNP

What did I say?

The Convener: Lab

We will take evidence this morning from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. We have with us Councillor Craig Roberton, who is the COSLA spokesman o...

Councillor Craig Roberton (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities):

Thank you very much.We are pleased to be here today and welcome your invitation. We have circulated a paper, which gives some detail on the case that we will...

The Convener: Lab

Thank you. As you know, the Executive has considered some of the things that you mentioned, such as the possibility of three-year funding. This committee has...

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): LD

I would like to ask you about two things, one of which you have touched on and one of which you have not. Many of us who were councillors in the past had con...

Councillor Roberton:

It would be difficult to give you a figure for charges now. We could provide figures for the overall increase in charges, but its implications for services a...

Mr Stone: LD

Do not the witnesses agree that there is a potential problem because that arrangement is based on a gentlemen's agreement, which means that the members of th...

Councillor Roberton:

I am not certain that a police board or a fire board would act in unison in that respect. They would find it difficult to reach consensus on an increase—ther...

Norie Williamson (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities):

I would like to make a couple of comments.When local government was reorganised, it was recognised that there might be a problem with—if I may say this—peopl...

The Convener: Lab

Before Kenny Gibson asks his questions, I would like to say that community councils and other such groups that are concerned about crime in their areas are a...

Mr Gibson: SNP

Thank you for your excellent document and presentation; I wish that the Scottish Executive produced such clear-sighted documents.

The Convener: Lab

Just ignore him.

Colin Campbell: SNP

He will not go away, however.

Councillor Roberton:

Perhaps we have better officers than the Executive does.

Mr Gibson: SNP

We took evidence from the Scottish Executive last week; the Official Report was published only this morning, so you will not have had the chance to see it. I...

Councillor Roberton:

To someone of your political viewpoint, it is of interest that these rules are Treasury rules. There seems to be a contradiction in the responses that you ha...

Norie Williamson:

Annexe A of our submission is a straight copy of the statement made by the Minister for Finance last October. The top two lines of the table are of special s...

Mr Gibson: SNP

It depends on whether a common view can be reached on that.

Norie Williamson:

It was interesting that down south there was a joint approach by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Local Government Associ...

Mr Gibson: SNP

I have a supplementary question on the amount of money that is raised by council tax. In his presentation last week, Professor Midwinter said that the propor...

Councillor Roberton:

Council tax is only one of the three elements of local government funding. Council tax replaced the poll tax, which replaced the rating system. Historically,...

Mr Gibson: SNP

But you think that the—

The Convener: Lab

Kenny, I have to stop you. Six other members want to speak. If there is time at the end, you can come back in.

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): LD

I would like to pursue the same line of questioning. There seems to be a serious disagreement between the Executive's civil servants and people in local gove...

Councillor Roberton:

I agree wholeheartedly with all those points, Donald. If you look at annexe A, which gives the expenditure that was provided by the Scottish Executive—they a...

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): Lab

You raised the issue of business rates, which many local authorities have raised with us in the past. You will be aware that the Executive is reluctant to go...

Councillor Roberton:

Much would depend on the way in which the matter was handled. Businesses are generally fearful of the idea of business rates being returned to the control of...