TO date, public debate on whether we have independence (or not) has centred on what relations might be created with a variety of international bodies, ranging from the other countries of the British Isles to the United Nations and the legacy institutions of the UK such as the Crown and the DVLA, writes RICHARD KERLEY.

As for any discussion about how things might look within Scotland after 2014, it’s been pretty much limited to the Yes campaign telling us all that it will be "much, much, better" and its opponents bewailing how dreadful it will be.

So far there has been little serious discussion about just what changes we might expect to see in those of our institutions which for most people are the reality of government on a day-to-day basis.

Even those who argue that we should be talking about what kind of Scotland we might like to see tend to be vague in their expression of that future condition: nicer, kinder, and fairer seems to summarise it.

It's a positive step that the annual conference of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) will be asking Nicola Sturgeon and Alistair Darling to tell us what they think local government in Scotland will look like after 2014.

On the downside, I am not sure that either of them will give delegates clear and specific answers to that question.

I might be wrong, but the demands of campaigning tend to militate against providing certainty and specific proposals.

It is worth thinking about just what might be in store for local government post-2014 because, of all public service agencies, it is the one that tends to provide the greatest range and depth of services right to our doorsteps and for all generations.

However, what I suggest is that, regardless of how we all vote in 2014, the future for Scotland's 32 councils after that referendum vote is going to be very similar, whether there is a majority Yes or a majority No vote.

First, barring a spectacular bust-up, we'll have an SNP government for at least 18 months (two budgets) after October 2014 and, regardless of the referendum vote, it will be under enormous pressure to achieve cost savings in those parts of the state that can be easily squeezed in order to provide popular vote winners from a still limited budget.

Even with independence, most detached commentators suggest there will be continuing pressure on public services for a long time to come.

Second, we know that if we vote for independence we are promised a constitution, and I am sure that in any such document there will be a clause about forms of local government in the new Scotland. Such a constitutional clause won't say: "There will always be a Fife."

At best it will be some form of provision stating that there will be some form of elected local government, little to say on powers, budgets etc, and nothing on the number and therefore size and geography of our councils.

Although the current government has continued its 2007 commitment of no council reorganisation, after 2014 all bets will be off, regardless of the outcome of the vote.

An administrative reorganisation seems a sure-fire way of saving money from parts of the organisation that appear to be readily dispensable with limited impact.

It probably would not be such an easy money-saver, but it can appear to be an attractively easy option.

At present such enforced changes are happening in further education, and would be in universities too, if Mike Russell [Cabinet Secretary for Education] had his way.

The Justice Secretary is already convinced that the merger of police and fire services is a success even although this has not yet actually taken place, and the savings are proving more painful than at first claimed.

"Mergertastic" is a game all the Cabinet can play.

There are various voices claiming we have too many councils in Scotland, although very few people who can tell me what the "right" number might be.

Either way, post-2014 we'll find out what the government actually thinks.

Richard Kerley is professor of management at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, chairman of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy, and an acknowledged expert on local government