Knocking Down Walls
Pat Watters - President of COSLA - had an article in Scotland on Sunday at the weekend - in which he argued the case that local government should have 'parity of esteem' with the NHS.
Essentially Pat Watters was saying that many council services are 'lifeline services' - and are every bit as vital as those delivered by hospitals - and a range of community-based health services.
So 'ring fencing' and protecting current spending on the NHS - doesn't make much sense - because the NHS does not operate in isolation from other vital council-run services.
But a lot of other things don't make any sense either - and what was missing from the COSLA President's argument - was some plain speaking about reforming and improving public services.
For example, Pat Watters said nothing about the fact that council budgets effectively doubled - since the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999.
Yet the council employers still failed to address the issue of equal pay - not least in Pat's own council, South Lanarkshire - where most female jobs remain stuck at the bottom of the pay ladder.
Nor has COSLA been leading the debate - about the enormous duplication involved in providing public services.
Why do we have so many councils, for example?
Why do we have separate council-run and NHS-run public services - with the huge bureaucracy that these separate structures create?
Surely it is possible - in this day and age - to deliver vital public services through a single public service provider - by knocking down the walls that divide local government and the NHS.
Not only will it produce better local services - a more sensible structure will save vast amounts of public money - into the bargain.
Essentially Pat Watters was saying that many council services are 'lifeline services' - and are every bit as vital as those delivered by hospitals - and a range of community-based health services.
So 'ring fencing' and protecting current spending on the NHS - doesn't make much sense - because the NHS does not operate in isolation from other vital council-run services.
But a lot of other things don't make any sense either - and what was missing from the COSLA President's argument - was some plain speaking about reforming and improving public services.
For example, Pat Watters said nothing about the fact that council budgets effectively doubled - since the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999.
Yet the council employers still failed to address the issue of equal pay - not least in Pat's own council, South Lanarkshire - where most female jobs remain stuck at the bottom of the pay ladder.
Nor has COSLA been leading the debate - about the enormous duplication involved in providing public services.
Why do we have so many councils, for example?
Why do we have separate council-run and NHS-run public services - with the huge bureaucracy that these separate structures create?
Surely it is possible - in this day and age - to deliver vital public services through a single public service provider - by knocking down the walls that divide local government and the NHS.
Not only will it produce better local services - a more sensible structure will save vast amounts of public money - into the bargain.
