Local Government

Local Government

What will I learn? • About the structure of local government

Success Criteria • Identify the structure of local councils. • Explain why we have local councils. • List and explain the different services provided.

Local Government • There are three levels of government in Scotland, what are they? • The Westminster Government • The Scottish Parliament • Local Government

Local Government in Scotland is made up of 1222 elected councillors working on our behalf. Scotland now has 32 local authorities- these are known as councils List of local authorities

COSLA • Local authorities in Scotland co-operate through, and are represented collectively by, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)

Glasgow City Council Each local council, such as Glasgow City Council, is divided into electoral wards and councillors are elected in each ward to represent the people who live there

School Representatives – Local Councillors A Councillor is elected to represent a WARD, which is the equivalent of a constituency and will be accountable to the people of that ward. This is achieved by constituents visiting surgeries or lobbying their councillor by presenting petitions.

Why Local Councils? • Local Government should be ‘the voice of the people’ • They should play a vital role in meeting the needs of citizens • Just as Westminster ‘devolves’ certain powers to the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Parliament ‘devolves’ certain powers to Local Councils • Have a key role in communities and impact on the daily lives of all Scottish citizens

Services Provided Glasgow City Council is the most heavily populated local authority with a population of approximately 698,000. It is responsible for delivering key services to the people of Glasgow. On the next slide match the service provided to the correct example.

Lesson Starter • Write the first paragraph for the following essay. • Local government in Scotland has a number of roles. Discuss. • (The point of your paragraph should be “providing local services”)

One important role that local government has is in relation to providing services. Local areas have a variety of needs and it is the role of LAs to provide local services. For example, councils are in charge of providing education in local areas. Glasgow City Council is responsible for the delivery of high quality education in its schools, for example St. Andrew’s Secondary School in Carntyne. It is the council’s responsibility to implement government policy such as the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence. Another service which councils provide is in relation to housing. Councils must ensure that all people have access to affordable housing and so provide council houses or use housing associations to provide houses for people in need. Since the Right to Buy scheme was introduced, some councils have struggled to provide adequate housing for those who need it. Therefore, since councils are responsible for things such as education and housing it is clear that one of their roles is to provide services.

Clips… • http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/local-council-services/4067.html • http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/youth-involvement-with-local-councils/4079.html • http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/external-influences-on-local-government/4080.html • http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/housing-right-to-buy-scheme/3845.html • http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/affordable-housing/3852.html • http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/community-councils/4078.html

Lesson Starter • Describe the following: • The Scotland Act • The Calman Commission • The role of committees

Lesson Starter • Describe the following: • The difference between AMS and FPTP. • The meaning of the word devolution. • One of the roles of the First Minister.

Lesson Starter • Give one advantage and one disadvantage of the AMS. • What is the Barnett Formula. • Name 3 services provided by local councils.

Role of Local Government • The roles of Scotland’s local authorities were set out in the 2003 Local Government in Scotland Act. • Providing Services– Local authorities have responsibility for the planning, resourcing and direct provision of a wide range of services e.g. education, housing, social work, leisure and recreation etc.

Role of Local Government • Strategic Planning – LAs provide a long-term strategic planning framework setting long term objectives for their area. (Strategic planning is an organisation's process of defining the direction it wants to move in, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy.) • Regulation - LAs also have regulatory functions such as control over certain licences e.g. taxi drivers and pubs.

Role of Local Government 4. Community Leadership– This is a relatively new role for LAs which involves addressing issues which do not fit neatly within the responsibility of any single agency e.g. promoting social inclusion, promoting well-being e.g. 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Services Provided • The money to pay for these services comes from a combination of council tax, money raised from licenses and services and grants from the Scottish Parliament. • Councils spend about £20 billion per year. • Employ 250,000 staff • We elect paid councillors every four years to represent our interests and to manage these budgets.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/11199/ratescalc2010-11 - Calculating non-domestic rates

Essay… • Critically examine the role of local government in a devolved Scotland.

Plan • Providing Services • Raising money • Work in partnership with Scottish Government • Implement Scottish Government policies

Essay Question (2012) • In carrying out its functions, local government in Scotland has come into conflict with the Scottish Government. Discuss.

Plan • Essay should show examples of cooperation and conflict • SG gives councils power which is in theory a good thing (democratic) • Roles of councils • Councils funded by SG and also raise council tax

Local Government