Local Government in a Devolved Scotland
Since the arrival of devolution on the political agenda in the 1970s, there has been an expectation that its introduction would inevitably lead to a reconsideration of the structure and functions of local government (Gunn 1977; Page 1979). Indeed, both the SNP and the Liberals committed themselves in electoral manifestos to transferring functions from local government to a Scottish Parliament, dismantling the big regions, and shaping local authorities around the former district councils. Even after the recent reorganisation, that anticipation of further structural change remains.
Metropolitan Government in Decline
Ostensibly, the reorganization of Scottish local government in 1996 was intended to create a more local, more efficient, and more accountable system. However, through grant abatement, the Conservative government simultaneously intensified its fiscal squeeze on local authorities, seeking expenditure reductions in real terms. Contrary to assurances from party leaders, both developments led to disruption for local authorities, felt particularly in Scotland’s four major cities. Overall, these and other changes have culminated in a period of downsizing for Scottish local government. Whereas a new Labor government is committed to wider constitutional changes, it is persisting with much of its predecessor’s policy agenda, albeit in muted form. Therefore, in the intermediate term, Scottish local government faces a continuing period of uncertainty and retrenchment. This article reviews the structure of local government in Scotland that was abolished in 1996 and the case for its replacement. Then, using evidence from Scotland’s four principal cities, the article examines and evaluates the broad thrust in recent central government policy—the downsizing of local government—using five criteria: scope, scale, staffing, spending, and comprehensibility.
The public librarian as budget manager
The article examines the role of the public librarian in the local authori ty budgetary process. It discusses the organizational structure in each authority and the chosen budgetary process, and analyses professional behaviour. The first section sets the work into context and examines the basic concepts. The second reports on the results of a survey of 20 Scottish library authorities. The final part concludes by examining the budgetary outcomes and sug gests that the success of a library authority in securing finance depends both on the nature of the structure and process and on the manner in which library officers play the budgetary game.