Scotland’s 32 councils could be replaced under major local government overhaul

The Scottish Government has set out an initial proposal for between six and 10 large regional authorities, supported by between 120 and 160 smaller “community authorities” responsible for decisions closer to individual towns and neighbourhoods.

The proposals, published on Monday (21 September), are intended to form the starting point for discussions with councils, communities and political parties rather than a final blueprint.

Under the model, regional authorities could take responsibility for major services and strategic decisions including education, economic development, housing, transport and larger planning matters.

They would also continue to oversee major council services including waste collection and cleansing, regulatory services and early learning.

Smaller community authorities would operate within each region and could be based around recognisable towns, districts and neighbourhoods.

The Scottish Government document gives Kilmarnock, Leith and Blairgowrie and Rattray as examples of the kind of identifiable communities which could form the basis of the new authorities.

They could take responsibility for areas including householder planning applications, licensing, community planning, town centre regeneration, historic environments, parks and greenspace and local leisure, sport and cultural facilities.

Councillors would continue to be elected using the existing ward system but could serve on both their community authority and the larger regional body.

Ministers say that would avoid creating a separate additional set of elected politicians, although the government acknowledges the increased responsibilities could require a review of councillors’ pay and the amount of time expected of them.

Separate arrangements could be developed for Scotland’s island communities, with ministers saying any future model would need to recognise their different circumstances.

The proposals would represent a major change from Scotland’s existing system of 32 unitary councils, which are currently responsible for services ranging from schools and social care to planning, roads and waste collection.

The Scottish Government said the existing model had not been fundamentally reviewed since devolution and argued that some authorities were currently “too big to be local” while others were “too small to be strategic”.

Deputy first minister Jenny Gilruth said the aim was to ensure public money was focused on frontline services while giving communities greater influence over decisions.

She said: “Some decision making is best delivered at national level and regional level while others better sit closer to communities and we must get that balance right.

“Existing local government responsibilities could also be extended, including enhanced roles in economic development and business support so that individual areas can reflect local strengths and ambitions.

“These proposals are intended to provide a starting point to facilitate debate and discussion as we work to deliver reforms that strengthen public services and improve outcomes for the people and communities we serve.”

Ministers hope to reach a shared direction on reform before the end of 2026, with early decisions being incorporated into the next Scottish Budget.

Council umbrella body COSLA has previously said it will participate in discussions but warned that engagement should not be interpreted as agreement to a predetermined restructuring.

COSLA president Councillor Shona Morrison said earlier this month that the organisation would not support changes which “dilute local democracy, centralise decision-making or remove accountability” and called for councils and communities to play a central role in developing any new system.

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) described the proposals as “ill-advised” and “entirely impractical”.

“Expecting councils to engage in meaningful discussions and reach an agreement based on this within a mere 10 weeks is entirely unrealistic,” he said. “The plan is clearly half-baked and raises numerous unanswered questions, such as what exactly will the new regions be and how will the geographies of community authorities be decided and by whom?”

Carr-West added: “Crucial service sectors are similarly glossed over without practical detail. On education, suggesting that certain responsibilities be devolved locally to community authorities while empowering headteachers effectively strips local councils of education oversight. Transitioning to these regional and community tiers will also incur significant financial costs that remain totally uncalculated. Meanwhile, the statement provides zero clarity on social care: is it destined for nationalisation, takeover by two new NHS Boards, absorption into the new regional authorities, or some confusing hybrid of all three?

“Scottish Government must learn from England’s failings on reorganisation and understand how notoriously complex, costly, and difficult it is. It consumes immense energy and attention, distracting everyone from core priorities. If you are going to attempt it, you need absolute clarity on geographies rather than rushing straight to structural fixes.

“Real regional collaboration and stronger community engagement can easily be achieved within existing local authority structures—it doesn’t demand structural change. Substituting structural upheaval for real progress simply reflects a lack of imagination, a reluctance to put in the hard yards of true collaboration, and the vanity of chasing a political legacy.”

STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer agreed: “Whilst the Scottish Government have the laudable ambition to strengthen local democracy, it’s absolutely for the birds to think the sheer scale of this local government reform can be achieved without the initial and substantial investment required to bring about change in our communities.

“There is an argument that community authorities can improve decision making but only if the funding exists to deliver these services. The Scottish Government must be clear that, in the short-term, this will cost money - not save it.

“You cannot credibly claim to empower communities whilst looking set to cull 20,000 public servants who would, in reality, be required to get these reforms off the ground in the first place.

“Unions will continue to monitor the government’s proposals and will engage in good faith. However, we must be clear that any reforms forthcoming must not be a mere smokescreen for brutal cuts cosplaying as progress. Real progress means ending the £3 billion outsourcing within the public sector, delivering sectoral bargaining within social care and properly funding our public services through progressive taxation that builds, not bulldozes, our local government and public services.”