Seòmar agus comataidhean

Minister or Councillor Hagmann, is there a more detailed breakdown by department of the headcount at local authority level? That might help us to understand the issue with workforce numbers in local government and the movements between departments.

Councillor Hagmann, with the Government’s suggestion that the workforce will have to adjust to remain sustainable, is it possible for local government to reduce workforce levels while still providing the level of service that it is providing or is expected to provide?

As service delivery changes, how are COSLA and local authorities assessing the impact on the workforce, particularly on women and minority groups, to make sure that the changes are not impacting on them more negatively than on other groups? Similarly, what assessment is carried out of the impact on women and minority groups in communities that rely on the services that are going to be delivered in a different way?

You talked about the number of applications for asset transfers and participation requests, and we heard that the number of participation requests is a good bit lower than the number of asset transfer applications. Does the Government have an opinion on why that might be? Do you consider that more work needs to be done to improve awareness and encourage communities to go down that route?

Councillor Heddle, is it possible for local government to meet the Verity house agreement’s key commitment to sustainable public services while also meeting pay demands from local government staff?

This is my first committee meeting since my entry in the register of members’ interests changed. I have ceased being the owner of a private rented property and a landlord. I was advised by a Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee clerk that I must make that declaration for a year following the cessation of that declaration.

Recently, the First Minister said that any issues relating to pay negotiations are for COSLA, councils and their employees. However, I have sat here long enough to have heard previous First Ministers, finance secretaries and local government ministers say the same thing, only to get involved in negotiations when strikes cause school closures and the rubbish starts mounting.

Given that councils rely overwhelmingly on the Scottish Government for the vast majority of their funding and the majority of that funding is spent on wages, what should be the Government’s position in supporting pay negotiations? Does it mean just getting around the table or does it mean putting more money on the table to ensure that local services remain sustainable?

In the previous parliamentary session, the Local Government and Communities Committee flagged up the issue of the lack of an appeals process for participation requests, so it is good to hear that the Scottish Government is considering that. That committee also raised concerns about the asset transfer process sometimes being overly bureaucratic, cumbersome and difficult for local organisations to navigate. We heard particular examples around the opportunities for community groups to take over areas of ground for use as allotments. Has the Government done any work on how to make the asset transfer process easier and more accessible for community groups that have that aspiration to take on a piece of land or asset that is held by a public authority?

Councillor Heddle, do you have any points to make regarding the effectiveness of the participation request or asset transfer powers in the legislation?

Good morning. I have a few questions about the powers in the act relating to participation requests and asset transfers. I will kick off by asking whether you think that the two instruments around asset transfers and participation requests have helped to empower communities.