The new report: ‘Let’s go public: Practical routes to transform our buses, energy, and homes’, by the Centre for Local Economies (CLES) and commissioned by the Just Transition Partnership, outlines a robust set of recommendations, including for the Scottish Government to establish a dedicated Public Ownership and Delivery Unit, fund a Public Bus Transition Programme and mandate public or not-for-profit delivery for heat networks.

CLES set out the choice to be made by government on whether to build the public assets and capacity required to transform buses, energy, and homes - retaining benefits for workers and communities whilst cutting climate pollution - or continuing to allow public money to subsidise private ownership.

The report highlights success stories from local governments – such as the Lothian bus network and South Lanarkshire Council’s solar programme – as template examples of workable public ownership methods. Concurrently, it calls on the UK Government to overhaul prohibitive energy grid charging rules, clear licensing hurdles for municipal buses, and give Great British Energy a direct public ownership mandate in Scotland.

The co-chairs of the Just Transition Partnership, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and Friends of the Earth Scotland, are demanding that both the Scottish and UK governments shift to a comprehensive national strategy of public ownership instead of the failed market-led approach that has “abandoned” communities. The campaigners have further called on local authorities across Scotland to increase public ownership of local bus services, energy generation and home insulation programmes.

An additional toolkit paper provides comprehensive practical toolkits for local authorities to increase public ownership at the local level.

Speaking on the release of the report, STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “It’s the scandal of our age that instead of helping local governments to build these models across Scotland, we see the billion pound rip off of workers as public money props up private ownership of buses and energy with wealth extracted out of our abandoned communities.

“The evidence from this report is clear: public ownership works. Whether it is Lothian Buses, council-run bus routes in the Borders and Highlands, or Aberdeen’s municipal heat network, public enterprise is the best path to reduced emissions, good jobs, and community wealth.

“Going public works. It’s high time both Scottish and UK Governments got a grip and stopped squandering the opportunities before us. They must get into gear and show real impetus to support workers suffering from the deep, structural injustices that have occurred from the failed market-led approach to energy, transport and retrofitting.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland head of campaigns Caroline Rance said: “Put simply, this report shows that we can do it better if we own it. Public ownership is already delivering for workers, communities and the climate but it needs to be scaled up if we are to meet the challenges facing Scotland. 

“If we build public institutions that are designed for people instead of skimming off profits, or solely focused on their share price, we can ensure that good jobs are created, workers are treated fairly, that services are accountable to the people that use them and that profits flow back into our communities instead of private pockets.

“Too many people feel ripped off by greedy companies and poor services and public ownership presents our best chance to do things differently. Public ownership is popular with workers and the public alike, and this report lays out practical steps for government and local authorities to start delivering these services in the public interest.

“Changing how we power our lives and keep our homes warm requires national level planning, so it makes sense for the public to control these processes to ensure people really feel the benefits of the transition.”

Centre for Local Economies senior researcher, Evelyn Henderson-Child, added: “The question of ownership is central to the delivery of a just transition. Public ownership gives government and communities the capacity to decide what infrastructure is for, where its value goes and how its benefits are shared.

“The present model requires the public sector to finance buses it does not control, host renewable energy infrastructure whose profits largely leave the places where they are generated, and fund retrofit programmes without building the permanent institutions and skills needed to deliver them.

“At a time of intense pressure on public services and a statutory commitment to community wealth building, Scotland cannot afford to keep funding systems that fail to build lasting public capacity. Instead, it must build on successful examples of public buses, energy and retrofit delivery that serves its people, places and future.”