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Yes, thanks.

I found Derek Smeall’s evidence on the role of the Glasgow Colleges Regional Board interesting. I acknowledge that Sue Macfarlane is in quite a different situation in UHI, but I would be interested to hear Ann Baxter’s perspective on what the Lanarkshire regional board does that individual institutional boards cannot do. I accept that it does stuff that individual boards do not do at the moment, simply because it exists, but does it do anything that it would simply not be possible for individual institutions to do?

My next question is also for Angela. I am interested in your perspective because you have been elsewhere and are now in the Scottish sector.

There has been national industrial action in seven of the past eight years. Industrial relations in the college sector are clearly not what anyone would want them to be. I am interested in your reflections on how that compares to your experience elsewhere. Is there something that is unique to the Scottish sector that we can resolve, or have we ended up where we are because of the time that we are in and wider public finance constraints?

That was a politician’s answer.

Yes.

I have just one additional question on industrial relations. In seven of the past eight years, we have seen national strike action, which has sometimes come about because of individual educational disputes escalating and sometimes because of national bargaining disputes. Could each of you say briefly why disputes have so regularly escalated to national action? After all, there is no other sector in Scotland where we have seen national strike action almost every year in the past decade.

I agree absolutely. Given the context, it was a case of picking the least worst option.

I want to check something. The Deputy First Minister published a list a fortnight ago. Was there anything on that list that created a concern for COSLA about knock-on effects on the services that you deliver?

In 2018, minor changes were made to increase council tax for band F and above. Did you take a view at that time, or have you done so since then, on whether that was effective and whether it met reasonable objectives?

The housing section of your paper is particularly interesting. You mention—I presume that this was written well ahead of the publication of this year’s programme for government—the potential for greater use of rent pressure zones to effect positive policy change. Two weeks ago, the PFG announced a freeze on rents and evictions, and there is a long-term commitment on the introduction of rent controls.

Is that the direction of travel that you were trying to hint at in saying that more could be done with rent pressure zones? Do you think that what was announced in the PFG will achieve some of the objectives that you were looking for, or were you indicating something else?

It is from paragraph 40, convener.

Thank you. Does Susan Murray have anything to add?