Corporate services
DISCLAIMER
The duties listed below are currently under review and have not yet been formally signed off by the relevant professional association. The information provided is for reference only and should not be treated as final or authoritative guidance. Please verify any decisions against approved sources or seek professional advice. Updates will be published once sign-off is complete.
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Secure continuous improvement through Best Value
Councils must keep improving how they deliver services. -
Advance well-being of communities and residents
Councils have the power to do anything they believe will improve the well-being of people in their area. -
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Ensure transparency and fairness in procurement
Councils must ensure that procurement processes are open and fair. -
Carry out pre-selection and exclude non-compliant bidders
When running a tender for a public contract, councils must carry out a pre-selection process to make sure bidders meet legal and professional standards. -
Include and report on community benefits in regulated procurements
When awarding large public contracts (generally worth £4 million or more), councils must consider adding community benefit clauses. -
Apply the Sustainable Procurement Duty
Before starting any regulated procurement, councils must consider how the process can deliver wider benefits beyond the contract itself. -
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Appoint a council officer as Returning Officer for local, UK, and Scottish elections
Councils must appoint a Returning Officer from among their senior council officers to oversee the conduct of elections. -
Carry out reviews of polling districts, places and stations every 5 years
Councils must review polling districts, polling places, and polling stations at least once every five years. -
Maintain electoral registers and produce full and open registers
Councils must maintain accurate electoral registers and produce both the full register and the open register in accordance with electoral law. -
Maintain a registration office and appoint District Registrar
Councils must maintain a registration office to provide civil registration services, such as recording births, deaths, marriages, and civil partnerships. -
Provide flexibility in operating hours of registration services
Councils should provide flexibility in the operating hours of registration services to ensure they are accessible and responsive to community needs. -
Manage the council’s public records
Councils must manage public records to ensure they are accurate, secure, and accessible. -
Have and comply with a complaints handling procedure
Councils must have a complaints handling procedure in place and comply with it consistently. -
Ensure non‑discrimination in service and policy design
Councils must ensure non-discrimination in the design and delivery of services and policies. -
Publish equality reports and outcomes
Councils must regularly report on how they are meeting their equality responsibilities. -
Act sustainably and contribute to climate change objectives
Councils must act sustainably and contribute to climate change objectives in all aspects of their operations and decision-making. -
Arrange and conduct citizenship ceremonies
Councils are responsible for arranging and conducting citizenship ceremonies for individuals who have been granted British citizenship. -
Ensure fair employment practices
Councils should ensure fair employment practices across all aspects of recruitment, retention, and workforce management. -
Have due regard to environmental principles
Councils must consider environmental principles when making decisions that affect the environment. -
Protect personal data
Councils must protect personal data and ensure compliance with data protection legislation. -
Comply with freedom of information and environmental information regulations
Councils must respond to requests for information in a timely, transparent, and lawful manner, providing access to recorded information unless an exemption applies. -
Ensure compliance with Health and Safety at Work Act for staff and service users
Councils are responsible for creating and maintaining safe working environments, assessing and managing risks, and implementing policies and procedures that prevent accidents and harm. -
Manage Common Good assets transparently and responsibly
Councils must manage Common Good assets—such as land, buildings, or funds historically held for the benefit of local communities—in a transparent and responsible way. -
Manage all land transactions responsibly
Councils must handle all land and property transactions in a way that protects public assets and complies with the law. -
Carry out Equality Impact Assessments
Councils must conduct Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs), ensuring they give “due regard” to eliminating discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity, and fostering good relations—before finalising any policy, service, plan, or budget decision. -
Maintain secure ICT systems and comply with cyber resilience standards
Councils have a responsibility to keep their ICT systems secure and meet national cyber resilience standards. -
Maintain a Records Management Plan
Councils must prepare and maintain a Records Management Plan that sets out proper arrangements for managing public records. -
Prepare for and respond to emergencies
Councils must plan ahead for emergencies and act quickly when they occur. -
Publish an annual modern slavery and human trafficking statement
Councils must publish an annual modern slavery and human trafficking statement to demonstrate their commitment to preventing exploitation within their operations and supply chains. -
Provide overseas assistance in connection with local government functions
Councils can provide overseas assistance by sharing expertise, knowledge, and best practices with international partners. -
Manage and enforce rules for council-controlled public premises
Councis are responsible for ensuring that all public buildings and spaces owned or leased by the council are operated safely, fairly, and in accordance with agreed standards. -
Enable lawful re-use of public sector information
Councils are responsible for allowing most public sector information be re-used for different purposes than it was originally created for. -
Fill casual vacancies in council seats lawfully, including arranging by-elections or co-options
Councils must ensure that any sudden vacancy - caused by a councillor’s resignation, death, disqualification, or similar - is properly filled according to legal rules. -
Undertake and record fire alarm testing in public buildings
Councils must regularly check that fire alarms in public buildings work properly and keep a record of these checks. -
Manage council fleet operations
Councils must look after all the vehicles the council owns or uses, such as vans, cars, and maintenance trucks. -
Promote efficient, transparent, and collaborative services in line with public service reform principles
Councils should make sure services are run in a way that is efficient, open, and works well with others. -
Provide local authority funded rooms as polling stations
Councils must make any publicly funded rooms (such as schools, community halls, or other council-owned premises) available for use as polling stations during elections. -
Retain and dispose of election documents
After a local government election, the Returning Officer must seal the ballot papers and an electronic copy of the counting information. -
Publish British Sign Language (BSL) Plans
Councils must prepare and publish a British Sign Language (BSL) Plan every six years. -
Prepare and publish an annual performance report
Councils must publish an annual performance report that shows how well they are delivering services and meeting their objectives. -
Ensure safe lifting
Councils have a responsibility to plan and supervise every lifting activity, provide equipment that is suitable, correctly marked, and properly maintained, and position it to prevent risks. -
Ensure transparent governance and proper administration of meetings
Councils must hold meetings in accordance with law and their own governance rules, publish agendas and minutes, and allow public access where appropriate. -
Ensure electrical systems in council premises are safe, inspected, and maintained
Councils must ensure that electrical wiring and equipment in buildings they own or manage are safe and properly maintained. -
Carry out fire risk assessments and maintain fire precautions and emergency procedures
Councils must carry out fire risk assessments and maintain fire safety measures in buildings they own or manage. -
Undertake and record legionella testing and maintain water safety compliance
Councils have a responsibility to manage the risk of legionella bacteria in water systems within buildings they own or control. -
Appoint a Chief Social Work Officer
Councils must appoint a senior social work professional to oversee the quality and safety of social work services. -
Award public contracts above prescribed value thresholds
When councils award public contracts worth more than a set value (threshold), they are legally required to comply with procurement regulations designed to ensure transparency, fairness, and competition. -
Maintain compliance with statutory governance frameworks
Councils operate under strict governance rules set out in legislation, such as requirements for committee structures, reporting, and accountability. -
Provide goods and services to other public bodies
Councils should provide goods and services to other authorities to share expertise, resources, and capacity in a cost-effective way. -
Prevent bribery and corruption in the exercise of council functions
Councils must prevent bribery and corruption in the exercise of their functions to maintain integrity, transparency, and public trust. -
Ensure PVG compliance for regulated roles
Councils must make sure that anyone working in roles with children or vulnerable adults has the right background checks in place. -
Implement the Duty of Candour procedure
Councils must follow the Duty of Candour procedure when certain serious incidents occur in health or social care services they provide. -
Consider reductions in socio-economic disadvantage in the exercise of strategic functions
Councils must plan and make decisions in ways that help reduce inequalities caused by socio‑economic disadvantage. -
Have due regard to preventing people from being drawn into terrorism
Councils must have due regard to preventing people from being drawn into terrorism by taking reasonable steps to identify and reduce risks that could lead individuals toward extremist views or actions. -
Comply with Gaelic Language Plans (if required by Bòrd na Gàidhlig)
If asked by Bòrd na Gàidhlig (Scotland’s national Gaelic language body), councils must create and follow a Gaelic Language Plan. -
Eliminate discrimination and promote equality of access
Councils must make sure that everyone can access culture and leisure services fairly. -
Participate in Regional Economic Partnerships (REPs)
Councils can take part in Regional Economic Partnerships (REPs) to help support economic growth across wider areas. -
Comply with PVG Scheme requirements and issue badges for vetted school transport staff
Councils must ensure that all school transport drivers and escorts who work directly with children are members of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. -
Support national emissions targets and climate adaptation
Councils must take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support climate adaptation, and lead the transition to a net zero Scotland. -
Reduce emissions from council estates and operations
Councils must reduce emissions from their own buildings, vehicles, and operations. -
Report on climate change duties
Councils must report each year on how they are meeting their legal climate change responsibilities. -
Prepare and approve an annual budget
Councils must prepare and approve an annual budget that balances all expected income and spending. -
Facilitate external audit and independent oversight
Councils have a duty to prepare annual accounts showing all income, spending, assets, and liabilities, and to have these accounts independently audited. -
Review and report on governance and internal control annually
Councils have a duty to make sure their financial systems are well-managed and secure. -
Support scrutiny and audit committee functions
Councils must help their audit and scrutiny committees do their job properly. -
Establish an energy efficiency discount scheme
Councils may establish an energy efficiency discount scheme to reduce Council Tax bills for homes that are more energy efficient.