Reshaping local government: a vision for Scotland’s future

Information

In partnership with Scotland's Futures Forum and COSLA

It's been 30 years since the controversial reorganisation of local government in Scotland. Is the current structure fit for the next 30 years? This panel will reflect on historical lessons and explore innovative ideas for reshaping local governance. We'll consider whether the creation of the Scottish Parliament has come at the expense of strengthening local government and discuss potential power-sharing models to better serve our communities. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of local government in Scotland, aiming to create a more effective and inclusive governance structure.

Chair: Ariane Burgess MSP Convener, Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Panellists:

Esther Roberton is an expert in civic, corporate, and constitutional governance and is a passionate advocate for clarity of purpose, consensus, collaboration and community involvement to build a new route map to a better, fairer Scotland. She is a Board member of Scotland’s Futures Forum and has spent a lifetime in public service, most recently as Chair of NHS Lothian and before that as Chair of NHS24 and Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Government. In 2017 she was asked to chair the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation for the Scottish Government and was a Press Complaints Commissioner between 2007 and 2014. In the 1990s Esther was the Coordinator of the Scottish Constitutional Convention whose 1995 publication ‘Scotland’s Parliament, Scotland’s Right’ provided the blueprint for devolution.

Andy Wightman is a writer and researcher focussing on land governance and democracy. He is the author of The Poor Had No Lawyers and runs the www.whoownsscotland.org.uk project. From 2016 to 2021, Andy was a Member of the Scottish Parliament. He is based in Lochaber.

Dr Greg Stride is the principal researcher at the Local Government Information Unit, where he leads research projects on democracy, local government finance and public administration with a focus on international best practice. (online)