Improvement Service

“Even with the heavy subjects we have to debate, we hope you leave here a bit more enlightened.”
Pat Watters, Cosla President

Pat Watters summed up the mood, tone and aims of the 2010 Cosla/IS Conference with one of the final comments of his Presidential Address in St Andrews last Wednesday. Those words sat perfectly alongside the theme of the gathering – Change, Challenge and Opportunity.
First Minister Alex Salmond kicked off proceedings. The SNP leader joined Councillor Watters in calling for national and local government to work together in these testing economic times.

"The Concordat is a wonderful example of how Scottish national and local government can work together," said the First Minister. "It was important in the good times, and it's even more important in tough times. It is critical to help find the solution."

Those words were echoed by Councillor Watters. "If ever there was a time for local and national government in Scotland to come together to protect services, it is now," he said.

Following a short break, ‘Re-shaping Older People’s Care’ was the topic of debate in the first major session. Shona Robison MSP, Jamie Stone MSP, Jackie Baillie MSP and David McLetchie MSP took to the stage to put across their own thoughts on what is currently a major issue.

Delegates then dispersed for the day before returning for a dinner that featured a thoughtful, engaging and humorous speech from Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrats Leader.

Respected BBC broadcaster Glenn Campbell led events on day two, which began with an in-depth, scene-setting presentation on the economic challenges faced by local authorities from Colin Mair, Chief Executive of Improvement Service, prior to the first session.

VIDEO OF COLIN MAIR’S SPEECH IS AT http://www.video3uk.com/cosla2010 (registration required)

‘The Future of Local Public Services’ was the first topic and the session was carried out under an Alternative Voices theme. This saw three speakers from different backgrounds air their own views, prior to individual question and answer exercises.

James Elder-Woodward, Convenor of the Independent Living in Scotland Project, spoke about the need for co-production, while Dharmendra Kanani, Director of the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland, outlined some radical policies. Geoff Mawdsley, Director of Reform Scotland, finished with a presentation based heavily on the theme of decentralisation.

The second session of the day began with an English perspective on the topic of ‘Transformation and Change in Local Government’. Stephen Hughes, Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council, was the first speaker and was followed by Sue Bruce, Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council, who said: “We have the ability to be adaptable and resilient. Local government can be at the forefront of radical change.”

David O’Neill, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, was last to speak and reiterated the need for radical strategies and strong local government leadership.

The Robertson Group then gave a presentation on ‘Working in Partnership to Manage our Public Assets’, while John Baillie, Chair of the Accounts Commission, and Iain Robertson, Leader of West Dunbartonshire Council, tackled the issue of ‘Local Accountability: The Governance, Challenge and Opportunity’.

Both men spoke at length on this issue, with Mr Baillie stressing that greater progress in performance management would limit the level of auditing required. “Rigorous self-assessment is needed,” he said. “It must be a priority.”

There was then a first for Cosla/IS Conference when five elected members took on the role of judges in a Dragons’ Den challenge. Gill Bhatti, a South Lanarkshire official, was crowned as the winner after her presentation on e-learning programmes received unanimous backing from all five dragons.

A hectic second day was rounded off by Scottish sporting great, Sir Jackie Stewart. The racing legend, President of Dyslexia Scotland, delivered a powerful speech under the heading, ‘Corrective Medicine is more Expensive than Preventative Medicine’.

Local authorities from across Scotland were recognised for their sterling work at the annual Cosla Awards ceremony, with three councils receiving special awards.

A successful conference drew to a conclusion the following morning with a speech from John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, and closing remarks from Pat Watters.