Contact Local Government reporter Kerry Lorimer on kerry@holyrood.com or call 0131 270 7097 Portfolio: Local Government
to being frustrated by the slow pace of as Houston puts it, maybe forever. His
change which is a feature of minority vision is of a “landmark living space”,
>>
newsdigest
administration. “You have to put a lot complete with schools, libraries and civic
CARE bOdIES TO MERGE IN bONFIRE
of effort and time into winning over centres, built to the highest standards of
OF THE quANGOS
the hearts and minds of other political environmental sustainability.
A single body is to be set up to oversee
parties, so the boldness isn’t reflected as “I don’t want it to be another com-
care and social work as part of the
much as I would like it to be,” he says. muter town, a concrete jungle [with] no Scottish Government’s plans to simplify
One of the bold plans he has in mind heart that people use simply as a dor- public sector scrutiny.
is the construction of 250 new coun- mitory,” he says. “There are too many
The new body will bring together
cil homes, subject to a successful bid to examples of that throughout Scotland.”
the Social Work Inspection Agency,
the Care Commission and the child
the Scottish Government’s housebuild- His number one goal is to make
protection function of Her Majesty’s
ing fund. “We want to develop Stirling Stirling as central to Scotland’s economy
Inspectorate of Education.
in economic terms, [and] we’ve got big as it is to the nation’s geography. “Our
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary
ambitions for housebuilding,” he says. job is to make sure Stirling is known for Finance and Sustainable Growth,
No council house has been built in the about in government terms and among announced the move as part of a
area in the last twenty years. “Over the people who want to set up businesses or
package that will see the number of
years we’ve been sitting on plots of land relocate within Scotland,” he says. “We
scrutiny bodies reduced from 29 to 23.
and really not maximised the assets that should be lauding the quality of our local
“A single body focusing on care
and social work will look at links in the
we have,” he says. government services and the quality of
support chain, from the local authority to
Even more ambitious plans are afoot life that we have. We need Stirling to
service delivery for individuals,” he said.
for a “super-village” of 2,500 houses, beat its drum a bit louder and be heard,
The Government expects to intro-
the first new settlement in Stirling since, and that’s part of our role.” HM duce the merged body by 2011.
FLETCHER LANdS SFT ROLE
bEyONd THE HEAdLINES
Jim Fletcher, leader of East Renfrewshire
Council, has been appointed to the
board of the Scottish Futures Trust.
THE
T
he Scottish Futures Trust is start- third had last year’s parliamentary elec-
Fletcher will take on the role of non-
ing to take shape, with a couple of tions turned out differently. “I have no
SCOTTISH
executive director of the trust for two
key appointments setting clear markers ideological problem with using SFT if it days a month over the next year.
FuTuRES
for how the trust will operate. works,” he says. “I am confident that it
Sir Angus Grossart, chairman of the
TRuST Most importantly for local govern- will work.”
SFT, said Fletcher would bring “a wealth
ment, Jim Fletcher, Labour leader of Fletcher’s background will be per-
of experience” to the role.
East Renfrewshire Council, has been tinent: he headed the Pensions Agency
RIGHT TO buy SuSPENdEd IN
appointed to the board as non-executive in Glasgow, first with the Ministry of
AbERdEENSHIRE
director. The appointment is symbolic in Defence and then with Electronic Data
Aberdeenshire Council has become the
three ways – firstly, it puts local govern- Systems Ltd, when the work of the tenth Scottish council to win the right to
ment at the heart of the project; secondly, agency transferred to the private sector
suspend Right to Buy in order to combat
it introduces an element of democratic as part of a PPP.
affordable housing shortages.
accountability; and thirdly, perhaps most Private sector expertise is crucial to
The Scottish Government has ap-
proved the council’s request to retain
crucially, it signals cross party buy in. the trust’s credibility, hence the appoint-
homes for rent in 88 “pressured areas”,
The Convention of Scottish Local ment of Colin Maclean, former group
accounting for over half of Aberdeen-
Authorities is delighted to have a senior head of procurement and supply chain
shire’s housing stock.
local government figure at the top table, management with BP, as the second Gurudeo Saluja, chair of Ab-
so much so that it inadvertently let slip non-executive director.
erdeenshire’s social work and housing
news about Fletcher’s appointment All eyes are now on the role of the
committee, welcomed the decision. “Our
before the Government’s announce- chief executive, which has been widely
housing stock has been greatly reduced
through the Right to Buy, but at the very
ment. advertised at a salary of £75,000, plus a
least these measures will assist us to
Fletcher, who leads a coalition with performance-related bonus.
retain high quality rented homes in the
the SNP group in East Renfrewshire, The trust is looking for a director or
areas with the highest demand,” he said.
is accustomed to working across party senior manager who has taken a leading
boundaries. He knows that from John role in conceiving and shaping major
LOCAL GOVERNMENT jObS SITE
Swinney’s point of view, an opposition infrastructure projects, including work-
LAuNCHEd
politician on the SFT board is more ing with government, whether in Scot-
A local government jobs site has been
launched, listing vacancies within
valuable than an SNP leader, and he land, the rest of the UK or beyond.
Scotland’s 32 authorities.
may well get some stick from Labour The real reward, according to the
The site, www.myjobscotland.gov.
colleagues for the appointment. ad, is the chance to shape Scotland’s
uk, was launched by the Convention
But he believes the rewards will be future. In return, though, whoever takes of Scottish Local Authorities at the
considerable. “From a purely selfish East on the role will be responsible for deliv- Society of Personnel Directors Scotland’s
Renfrewshire perspective, we want to ering not just on some hugely significant
national conference. It currently lists
be involved in it,” he says. The council public projects, but on one of the most
almost 400 jobs including vacancies
for accountants, guitar instructors and
has already had two rounds of PPP and politically sensitive elements of the SNP
sports coaches.
no doubt would have been planning a Government’s agenda. HM
| www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 17 November 2008 |
43
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74