Scottish Reform And Self-Determination
Holyrood Backs Constitutional Motion As Council Leaders Urge Collaborative Public Reform
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Scottish council leaders have urged the government to base local-government reform on evidence and meaningful consultation, saying major changes should be agreed with councils rather than imposed. An assessment of Public Service Reform Cabinet Secretary Ivan McKee likewise questioned whether he has offered enough detail on how he will cut bureaucracy and implement changes, including on civil-service attendance and union negotiations. Separately, Holyrood backed a motion affirming Scotland’s right to decide its constitutional future; First Minister John Swinney framed the issue as one of democracy, while Labour’s Michael Marra accused the SNP of prioritizing independence over governing and said key practical questions remain unanswered. The SNP says its government is improving NHS services and tackling waiting times, though its account is presented as a defense of the party’s record rather than an independent assessment.
Key Points
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COSLA said reform should bring decisions closer to communities and involve both local residents and frontline service staff; it called for ministers to commit that changes would be implemented only with the agreement of existing local authorities, ahead of next year’s council elections.
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In assessing Ivan McKee’s reform agenda, the article noted that he acknowledged the need to cut unnecessary management layers and improve value for taxpayers, but questioned whether he was personally driving the difficult decisions needed to deliver those aims.
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The Holyrood motion followed an agreement among the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to demand powers to hold constitutional referendums; Swinney said he wanted to break the impasse through a discussion about where power lies across the UK.
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In defending its record, the SNP claimed that waiting lists for eight key diagnostic tests had fallen to their lowest level since the Covid pandemic, diagnostic activity had reached record highs, and the risk of dying from cancer in Scotland was at a record low.
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