THE WRITINGS, AN INTRODUCTION – Esther Roberton
I was Coordinator of the Scottish Constitutional Convention in the 1990s and helped launch “Scotland’s Parliament, Scotland’s Right” – the scheme which provided the basis for the Scotland Act.
As we approached the 25th anniversary of the Parliament this year I was reflecting on progress towards our aspirations and expectations. In conversation with a few colleagues who had been part of the campaign, I discovered a common thread. We were all pleased to have achieved our Parliament and believed it had been a force for good. One major area of unfinished business though, was the commitment to devolving power out from Holyrood to genuinely local councils and communities.
We all agreed that in fact the opposite had happened and that subsequent governments had drawn powers to the centre. Ten of us from a range of backgrounds came together in what Ewan Aitken called “this unexpected collection of Scots” – activists, academics, ex-council chiefs and trade unionists. We had differing opinions about Scotland’s place in the UK but were all agreed it was time to raise the profile of this outstanding democratic deficit and engage the public and politicians in a discussion about how to address it.
There seems to be widespread consensus that something needs to be done about the over-centralisation of Scotland, but little agreement about what that should be. We believe it is time for the people of Scotland to have a say in how we are governed and call on all the parties to address this in their manifestos for the 2026 elections.
These essays outline the case for change and a call to action.
Esther Roberton, September 2024
Why I support the New Local Democracy for Scotland – Dave Watson
Twenty-five years after the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, we rightly celebrate devolution. In the words of Donald Dewar this was, ‘the day when democracy was renewed in Scotland when we revitalised our place in this our United Kingdom.’ While the Scottish Parliament has brought democracy closer to Scotland, it has not created a genuine…
Why Rural Scotland needs a new solution – Ann McGuinness
Steeped in history and surrounded by natural beauty, our rural communities are often fawned over and fantasised about by inhabitants of our towns and cities, where the promise of an idyllic holiday, or perhaps even retirement, awaits. Yet these are places filled with people carrying on with their everyday lives. Living, working and learning in…
We can ‘right-size’ democracy in Scotland – Lesley Riddoch
Something special happened in 2022. A Scottish election with the lowest ever number of candidates, a turnout of just 44.8%, the lowest in northern Europe and a high number of wards where there was no election because candidate numbers precisely matched the available seats. But there was very little fuss or recrimination because these were…
Why Build a Local Scotland? – Esther Roberton
This year is the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament and we have seen many events marking the milestone. There continues to be much discussion looking back on what has been achieved and looking forward to what could or should be done over the next 25 years. As Coordinator of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, I…
Community and Resilience: The Keys to Powerful Local Government – Willie Sullivan
There are many reasons to seek really powerful, really participative local government in Scotland. Electoral Reform Society, Scotland published a longer pamphlet about this in 2022. Here we focus on what could well be the two most important reasons ; Community and Resilience. Ours is a system that combines single, symmetrical units that seeks to…
Building a Local Scotland: an economist’s view – Mike Danson
There is an incorrect presumption embedded into many government frameworks that, by definition, ‘big is beautiful’. The argument is then that that governments at all levels should embrace the need to realise the economies of scale offered by being parts of bigger entities. Best value regimes, public procurement rules, the Green Book (which the UK…
Even when it’s a Grand Challenge the solution is often local – Peter McColl
There are a small number of great challenges facing us as a society. The climate emergency is the most significant, but we have a social care crisis that also threatens our wellbeing and that of our loved ones. Too often the scale of the challenge creates a false assumption that the answers lie in changes…
Devolution past the doors of Holyrood – Ewan Aitken
As a former Labour Councillor, I spent many hours persuading people not just that voting was a good thing but why voting for me was an even better thing. I was stopped in my tracks one inclement election day however, when I thanked an older woman for coming out on such a day to cast…
Scotland’s future isn’t just about Holyrood. It’s about empowering communities to shape their own destinies. Building a Local Scotland explores the potential of devolution beyond Edinburgh, delving into the fundamental idea of putting power directly into the hands of people and communities. From Unst to Whithorn, join us to discover how a more decentralised Scotland can thrive.
It’s time for a fundamental shift in how we govern ourselves.
It’s time to Build a Local Scotland.