THE imminent reform of Scottish local government places social cohesion at risk if it focus on delivering services cheaper, the head of Scotland's main councils group has said.
On the eve of their annual conference, the president of Cosla, David O'Neill, said "tackling inequality must be the driver" of the planned overhaul of the public sector.
Billed as Scottish local government's keynote event, it will also include First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who announced a review of the role of responsibilities of local authorities before the parliamentary recess.
The event comes amid signs the rift splitting Scotland's councils could be partially repaired as the leader of one major breakaway council announced his authority could rejoin Cosla two years after a bitter split.
It is also the first Cosla conference since the tightest local government grant settlement in a generation, with little sign of any financial improvement on the horizon.
Warning social inequalities were the biggest threat to social cohesion in Scotland, Mr O'Neill said: “The gap between the rich and the poor grows bigger by the day. Quite frankly, our economy is no longer working for far too many of our electorate.
“The benefits of growth increasingly go only to those at the top. Whilst the cost of everyday living gets even harder for the remainder
“Tackling inequality must be the driver for what we are doing in terms of local political leadership and public sector reform and we need to start it now, before it is too late.
“In conclusion, I am delighted that this is the theme of this year’s Cosla conference, but at the same time also frustrated that we need to revisit the issue due to the fact that there is still so much more to do in relation to it.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “In this Parliament we will introduce a bill that will refresh local democracy by giving more power to local communities. We will review the roles and responsibilities of local authorities with an aim to transform our democratic landscape, protect and renew public services and refresh the relationship between citizens, communities and councils.”
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