The Kintyre Forum

In an interesting article in the Herald yesterday there was a suggestion the local authorties should be reduced from 32 to 10 local authorities.

Any thoughts?

Time is ripe to debate future of our councils

Scottish economy and society have changed significantly since the previous reorganisation of local government, and a debate on whether the current map of local government is fit for purpose is timely ("Is it time to redraw the council map of Scotland?", The Herald, January 14). As professor of geography, I would question some of the detail in The Herald's proposed new map of 10 local authorities, but I believe the underlying objectives are sound.

Whether existing local authorities or communities would embrace such radical change remains to be seen and, in reality, over the short term, at least, inter-authority co-operation in service provision is a more likely scenario.

In considering the future shape of Scotland's local government, it is right that we cast the net widely and look to experience elsewhere. In this context, a glance across the Atlantic may be of value. Although far from perfect, the structure of local government in the US, and in particular the system of special districts, affords an interesting example of an attempt to reconcile the goals of local democracy and shared service provision.

This is worth the watching. The proposed re-organisation would create an enlarged Highland Council stretching from the Mull of Kintyre to John O' Groats. This is precisely what was proposed (and rejected) when local government was re-organised in the 1970s. It was rejected because those who lived in the southern part of the proposed region (mainly Argyll and the southern part of Lochaber) argued successfully that their links for transport, commerce, higher and further education, health care, etc., were all with Glasgow and the central belt and not with Inverness. When these arguments were accepted, the result was the addition of Argyll to what became Strathclyde Region, something which was immensely beneficial to us in many ways. This time round, things are different. There is probably now a greater political presumption against creating anything like the old Strathclyde, especially as it would be an even bigger rival to the devolved Scottish Government than it was to the UK Scottish Office. And we're now in with Highland for health care purposes (watch that one too - how long will it be before patients are being sent to Raigmore in Inverness rather than the Southern General in Glasgow?).