The Committee is undertaking work looking at the lack of diversity in Scotland’s councillors and the barriers which can stop people from participating in local politics.
The Improvement Service undertook a survey of councillors in Scotland between 2017 and 2022 and found that of those who responded.
Read the Improvement Service Report: Scotland's Councillors 2017-2022
The Committee held sessions to help inform this work in November 2021. The meeting papers and official report of that meeting are available below under 'Meetings'
The Committee then agreed to postpone further work until after the local elections had taken place in May 2022.
The Scottish Government invited local election candidates to complete a diversity survey to assess any changes or emerging trends in relation to candidates with one or more protected characteristics. The results of the survey were published in November 2022.
Local Government Candidates Survey results 2022
The Committee took evidence from Scottish Government officials on the results of the Candidate Diversity Survey on 6 December 2022. The meeting papers and official report are available below under 'Meetings'.
The Committee also took evidence from relevant stakeholders on 1 November 2022, with a particular focus on increasing participation of women in local politics. The meeting papers and official report are available below under 'Meetings'.
The Committee has heard that one of the key barriers to participation in local elected politics is the relatively low rate of pay to councillors for what can be a very busy role. In November 2022, the Scottish Government reconvened the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC) “to undertake a one-off independent review of Councillor remuneration” before making recommendations to the Scottish Government about councillors’ pay.
In March 2023, the Committee wrote to political parties represented in councils asking what steps they were taking to encourage greater diversity in their candidates and councillors. The Committee’s letter and the responses from parties can be accessed under the “Correspondence” section of this page.
In June 2023, the Committee wrote to Scottish local authorities asking about the services and support they provide to councillors. The letter can also be accessed below under “Correspondence”.
Read the responses from Scottish local authorities
SLARC published its recommendations on councillor remuneration in February 2024 and the Committee took evidence on the report from SLARC and COSLA on 28 May. The meeting papers and official report are available below under 'Meetings'.
SLARC Final Report: Recommendations for Councillors’ Remuneration and Expenses
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government wrote to the Committee on 5 July 2024 to confirm that the Scottish Government had published its response to SLARC’s recommendations.
Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, 5 July 2024 (114KB, pdf) posted 09 July 2024
Scottish Government's response to SLARC'S recommendations
The letter confirms that the Scottish Government is content to accept SLARC’s recommendations on salary levels and banding related changes and will introduce regulations to bring these into effect from 1 April 2025.
The inquiry was discussed at the following Committee meetings:
The Committee has sent and received the following correspondence during the inquiry:
A letter to all local authorities in Scotland, 30 June 2023
A letter from the Scottish National Party in response to the letter from the Convener on Undstanding Barriers to participation in local politics
A letter from the Scottish Liberal Democrats in response to the Conveners letter on Understanding Barriers to participation in local politics
A letter from the The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party in response to the letter from the Convener on Understanding Barriers to participation in local politics
A letter from the Scottish Greens in response to the letter from the Convner on Understanding Barriers to participation in local politics
A letter from the Scottish Labour Party in response to the letter from the Convener on Understading Barriers to participation in local politics
A letter from the Convener to political parties, 2 March 2023