Highland Council is a prime example of Scotland’s too big local authorities due to ‘creeping centralisation’

The government office for the Highland Council is located on Glenurquhart Road in Inverness. Photo credit goes to Gary Anthony.

A group of former council leaders, politicians, journalists, and academics have stated that Scotland is highly centralised compared to other European nations. They argue that Scottish councils are too big to effectively facilitate local democracy in this modern era.

The Building a Local Scotland (BLS) group highlighted Highland Council as a key problem when it comes to Scotland’s local democracy. They pointed out the trend of centralization in the country, which has led to Scotland being one of the countries with the least local governance in the world.

Kate Forbes: 'I propose that we begin by dividing the Highland Council into smaller parts – consider this idea as breaking news.'

The breakup of the Highland Council has been brought to the attention of all three leadership candidates for First Minister.

After the leadership debate comments, will the potential separation of the Highland Council still be a topic of discussion under Humza Yousaf's leadership?

A petition from the Caithness council has been submitted to the Scottish Parliament.

Highland member of the Scottish Parliament Emma Roddick is advocating for the creation of a stand-alone council for Inverness, citing the city's "unaddressed needs."

In Scotland, local governments govern around 170,000 residents on average, which is significantly higher than the European average of 10,000. This has sparked discussions about the need for stronger city, town, island, and local councils throughout the country.

A big example of this trend towards centralization can be seen in Highland Council. This council oversees a large portion of Scotland's land area, as well as a significant portion of Great Britain. With a population of 235,000, all decisions and governance are made from the city of Inverness.

It is bigger in size compared to Wales (which has 22 local governments), North Macedonia (with 80 towns) and Belgium (with one central government, three language communities, three regional governments and 581 local councils).

In Europe, Scotland has the fewest number of council members. In comparison, England has an average of 2814 residents per council member, Norway has 572, and Denmark has 2216. However, the typical Scottish council member is responsible for 4155 constituents, which is higher than the averages in the other countries mentioned.

This has caused BLS to gain the support of many famous individuals, such as Andy Wightman and former MSP Jean Urquhart. The official announcement is expected to be made later today in Edinburgh.

BLS explained that councillors may have to make decisions about areas they are not familiar with, despite it not being their fault. With the possibility of significant cuts in public spending, they may end up making decisions that greatly impact the community without input from local residents.

BLS thinks things need to be different. They want all political parties to acknowledge that the current system doesn't work well and goes against the agreement made with the people of Scotland 25 years ago.

They have support. During last year's SNP leadership election, Kate Forbes stated: "I propose that we should dismantle Highland Council - you heard it here first. We are aware that in the Highlands and Islands, the way social care is handled, as well as local government and fixing potholes, will vary between Portree and Inverness."

She received support from the other competitors, including the eventual winner Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan, but they were not the first to show their support.

Highland Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Emma Roddick also voiced concerns in 2021, stating that Inverness has essential needs that are not being met because of the belief that Inverness receives preferential treatment.

The above arguments are not in line with the stance of supporters advocating for Caithness to have its own governing body and healthcare system. This was done through the submission of a petition to the Scottish Parliament in 2022.

Before the release of the Local Democracy Declaration, Esther Roberton, who previously organized the Constitutional Convention, spoke about the upcoming event.

"When the Scottish Constitutional Convention came to a unanimous decision on the final plan for our Parliament, it included a promise to distribute power throughout Scotland and to establish a resilient and efficient local government system that upholds the principle of subsidiarity."

No Scottish government, regardless of their political beliefs, has kept their promise to decentralize power. In fact, Scotland is even more centralized now than it was 25 years ago. It is now the duty of our Parliament to fulfill the Convention's promise and strive towards creating a more localized democracy.

According to Willie Sullivan from the Electoral Reform Society stated:

Our research indicates that individuals are interested in dedicating their time and efforts towards managing local communities. However, the large size of councils makes it difficult for most working-age Scots to effectively do so. Scotland has one of the lowest numbers of people willing to stand as councillors in Europe, with the majority being pensioners. Despite this, the success of community buyouts demonstrates that individuals from all walks of life are willing to put in significant effort for civic engagement, as long as they have the authority to enact real change.

Ewan Aitken, a member of the COSLA commission dedicated to improving local democracy, stated:

In 2014, the innovative Commission by COSLA recognized that democracy has been weakened over the span of 50 years due to the disappearance of genuinely local councils and their substitution with distant, larger regional authorities.

A decade ago, the report didn't receive much attention, but the issue of distant democracy is still relevant. It is important for the communities of Scotland, including towns, villages, and islands, to have more control over their own affairs in order to engage, energize, and come up with new ideas.

Lesley Riddoch, the Director of Nordic Horizons and a former member of the Isle of Eigg Trust, mentioned that...

Many Scots are surprised by the large scale of their local councils compared to those in other European countries, but they may not realize the opportunities they are missing out on. In simple terms, it is the opportunity to actively improve our own communities instead of passively observing them deteriorate under distant governance.

Certainly, there are communities who have purchased their own land and other local resources. However, the rising prices of land are making it difficult for many to afford this option, and the process of buyouts can leave volunteers feeling drained while not necessarily changing the size of local councils.

The Scottish Parliament has the ability to undo centralization and take cues from nearby countries where smaller councils have greater involvement rates without excessive red tape, financially compensated council members, or top-tier officials.

Professor Mike Danson, who is the head of the community development organization in his area, remarked:

Politicians appear hesitant to tackle the significant, long-awaited job of decentralizing Scotland. This is why we think a citizens' assembly is the most effective approach to move this process forward. Comprising of non-political individuals from various backgrounds, Building a local Scotland hopes that the general public and civic community will back our proposal for a Citizen's Assembly to review the facts and create a new system that enhances democracy and decision-making quality without incurring excessive costs.

Ann McGuinness, a strong advocate for women's rights and leader at the organization Scottish Rural Action, expressed her views.

There is a lot of excitement throughout Scotland for more ways to have control. We can see this in community groups and local development trusts making improvements with very few resources. It is time to change the way local democracy works and give our communities more power.

Dave Watson, who is in charge of the Jimmy Reid Foundation, stated:

We have the ability to build a more just Scotland where communities have actual control and influence. By implementing frameworks that safeguard workers' rights and empower local residents, we can avoid unnecessary bureaucracy. The Jimmy Reid Foundation released a report in 2020 titled Building Stronger Communities, which expanded on the concepts explored in the earlier COSLA Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy. Many countries in Europe have successfully achieved this for many years. Instead of more reports, what we truly need is citizens to take action and prioritize these important issues.

The Declaration is about creating a fresh local government system in Scotland.

We are excitedly endorsing the mission and validity of the Scottish Parliament and applauding the numerous achievements of devolved government over the past quarter of a century.

In our opinion, it is time for Scotland to deliver on the commitment that devolution would also lead to a revival of true local governance.

We observed that the typical Scottish 'local' council has 170,000 residents, while the EU average is 10,000. Community Councils receive £400 per year and do not have any official powers. Scotland lacks a genuine form of local democracy.

We are asking for the establishment of strong city, town, island, and community councils throughout Scotland. This should not involve more centralization or the forced implementation of elected mayors from the top down.

We are advocating for citizens to come together in assemblies to examine the lack of democracy at the local level in Scotland. Through gathering evidence from both local and international sources, we aim to recommend a plan to bring Scotland back in line with global democratic standards.