Chamber
Plenary, 02 Oct 2002
02 Oct 2002 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Local Government in Scotland Bill: Stage 1
I am a fairly recent recruit to the Local Government Committee. Initially, some of its discussions seemed labyrinthine. However, in the short time that I have been a member of the committee, the importance of local government has come across to me strongly. Local government is the first port of call for most people in the community on matters that relate to housing, education, care in the community and transport. Local government has to deliver many of those services and people tend to go to local government first.
Local government is also important in providing a high-quality environment in all our communities. A recent example of that in Aberdeen is the introduction by the local council of a byelaw that has banned drinking in public. That is another small step that has been taken to improve the environment for people.
It is vital that local authorities provide services and carry out the strategic thinking that they need to do for their communities as effectively as possible. The bill will empower local authorities. For example, part 1 of the bill removes the constraints of compulsory competitive tendering and makes it a duty for all local authorities constantly to seek to improve local services through best value. That duty is important.
When considering best value, councils will, under section 1(4), have to consider
"(a) efficiency;
(b) effectiveness;
(c) economy; and
(d) the need to meet the equal opportunity requirements."
I was pleased that the minister said that he wanted to apply best value across the public sector. Many people said to the Local Government Committee that they did not think that best value should apply only to local government.
Consideration of environmentally sustainable development should be one of the requirements for best value. Looking after the quality of our environment, in terms of biodiversity and freedom to live in clean, unpolluted surroundings, will become increasingly important. For example, air pollution is a problem in many of our cities. That cannot be divorced from proposals in local and structural plans for transport improvements, which are often delivered by local government.
Increasingly, councils use partnership working when trying to develop strategic thinking and to engage and involve local communities in deciding on their future and the way forward. Community planning will underpin that process and make it easier for local authorities to organise that way of working. The community planning part of the bill gives a structure and a way forward for local authorities.
Many councils engage voluntarily in community planning. Aberdeen City Council, for example, has completed a large-scale consultation with the city's citizens and many organisations in the city, both private and public, to develop the Aberdeen community plan, which is called Aberdeen futures. That plan has many key ideas and will undoubtedly point the way forward for the city in the coming decades. The community planning part of the bill will make such plans mandatory for all communities. We cannot afford to have different parts of the public and private sector developing plans in isolation. Planning must be holistic and make best use of resources in the public sector. It is increasingly important that the parts work together.
Tavish Scott mentioned the joint future initiative. As we heard this week, the census shows that the Scottish population is getting older and greyer by the day.
Local government is also important in providing a high-quality environment in all our communities. A recent example of that in Aberdeen is the introduction by the local council of a byelaw that has banned drinking in public. That is another small step that has been taken to improve the environment for people.
It is vital that local authorities provide services and carry out the strategic thinking that they need to do for their communities as effectively as possible. The bill will empower local authorities. For example, part 1 of the bill removes the constraints of compulsory competitive tendering and makes it a duty for all local authorities constantly to seek to improve local services through best value. That duty is important.
When considering best value, councils will, under section 1(4), have to consider
"(a) efficiency;
(b) effectiveness;
(c) economy; and
(d) the need to meet the equal opportunity requirements."
I was pleased that the minister said that he wanted to apply best value across the public sector. Many people said to the Local Government Committee that they did not think that best value should apply only to local government.
Consideration of environmentally sustainable development should be one of the requirements for best value. Looking after the quality of our environment, in terms of biodiversity and freedom to live in clean, unpolluted surroundings, will become increasingly important. For example, air pollution is a problem in many of our cities. That cannot be divorced from proposals in local and structural plans for transport improvements, which are often delivered by local government.
Increasingly, councils use partnership working when trying to develop strategic thinking and to engage and involve local communities in deciding on their future and the way forward. Community planning will underpin that process and make it easier for local authorities to organise that way of working. The community planning part of the bill gives a structure and a way forward for local authorities.
Many councils engage voluntarily in community planning. Aberdeen City Council, for example, has completed a large-scale consultation with the city's citizens and many organisations in the city, both private and public, to develop the Aberdeen community plan, which is called Aberdeen futures. That plan has many key ideas and will undoubtedly point the way forward for the city in the coming decades. The community planning part of the bill will make such plans mandatory for all communities. We cannot afford to have different parts of the public and private sector developing plans in isolation. Planning must be holistic and make best use of resources in the public sector. It is increasingly important that the parts work together.
Tavish Scott mentioned the joint future initiative. As we heard this week, the census shows that the Scottish population is getting older and greyer by the day.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
Our main item of business today is the stage 1 debate on motion S1M-3128, in the name of Andy Kerr, on the general principles of the Local Government in Scot...
The Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services (Peter Peacock):
Lab
The Local Government in Scotland Bill is significant and forms part of the reforming agenda that we share with local government in Scotland. The bill gives n...
Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
The minister and I were local government leaders when the community planning pathfinders were introduced some six years ago. I am glad to see that there are ...
Peter Peacock:
Lab
We have already recognised that point in the bill, which gives local authorities the role of facilitating the community planning process and ensuring that it...
Bruce Crawford:
SNP
The bill would give a local authority"power to do anything which it considers is likely to promote or improve the well-being of—(a) its area and persons with...
Peter Peacock:
Lab
I am all in favour of wine. I know that global warming is having a big impact on Scotland, but I am not sure that it will raise temperatures enough to allow ...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
Given that I am a teetotaller I will not pursue the wine-growing line of questioning.Does the minister envisage that in the pursuit of the general power of w...
Peter Peacock:
Lab
The member's being teetotal may explain quite a lot and that is not a course that I have chosen to follow to date. On Tommy Sheridan's point about borrowing ...
Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
The SNP will support the broad principles of the bill, but we believe that it is a wasted opportunity. The one thing that cannot be said about the bill is th...
Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
I declare my registered interest as a member of Stirling Council.I thank Eugene Windsor, the clerk to the Local Government Committee, and his staff, for guid...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
The time limit on back-bench speeches in this debate will be six minutes.
Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD):
LD
I can tell that there is great enthusiasm from back benchers for the extension to their time limit in this debate.
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
The extension is due only to the temperance of the opening speakers.
Iain Smith:
LD
Perhaps I should speak slowly, then.Unlike the rather sad contribution from the Conservatives, who support the general principles of the bill but will not su...
Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con):
Con
Mr Smith mentioned that tourism and further education were torn away from local government. Why has it never been his party's policy to return those function...
Iain Smith:
LD
I was talking about how local government's powers were stripped away when the Conservatives were in power. The bill is the first step towards moving back to ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
We now move to open debate. Members have six minutes plus time for interventions.
Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab):
Lab
I am a bit nervous, as I have never had six minutes in which to speak before. Others and I have said before that local government is a subject for anoraks. I...
Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
It seems that I join a committee whenever members start consideration of a new bill. The Local Government Committee was no exception to that rule. Perhaps I ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
No, you have another two or three minutes yet.
Ms White:
SNP
It is just that the light is flashing and I thought that I was being told to be quiet. Like Trish Godman, I am not used to having six minutes to make a speec...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
I remind members that, without a note to the chair, they are expected to be in their seats for two speeches before and after their turn.
Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con):
Con
Much of what the bill is about simply restates in a bureaucratic way what local government should be doing in any case. Some councils do it already and the p...
Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab):
Lab
Will the member give way?
Mr Davidson:
Con
In a moment. I will finish the point and come back to Miss Thomson. On 25 June, Peter Peacock said in the Local Government Committee:"Community planning is n...
Elaine Thomson:
Lab
Does the member recognise that the council was one of the main drivers of the successful partnership working to which he refers? He is correct; partnership w...
Mr Davidson:
Con
I am glad that Miss Thomson recognises that success is possible without the additional layer of legislation that is passing through the Parliament.It is also...
Iain Smith:
LD
Mr Davidson mentioned a meeting that the convener and leader of Aberdeenshire Council attended with Henry McLeish, but he did not give the date of that meeti...
Mr Davidson:
Con
The last time that I spoke to the convener, only a few weeks ago, he seemed to be of the same view. He has not altered his stance at all.
Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD):
LD
What was the date of the meeting?