Hannah Brown, Transformation Project Manager at the Improvement Service, discusses how the new Duties and Powers portal is being used in a range of practical ways across the sector.
When the Duties and Powers Portal launched earlier this year, the aim was to bring clarity to a complex and often fragmented legislative landscape for Scottish local authorities. By bringing statutory duties and powers together into a single, accessible place, it established a shared foundation for understanding what councils must do, what they can do, and the legislation that sits behind this.
Just a few months on, it is already demonstrating value. Rather than being solely a reference tool, the portal is beginning to be used in a range of practical ways across the sector.
A shared understanding
Colleagues across councils, professional associations and national government are using the portal as a common reference point for the legislative framework that underpins local services. Feedback suggests that this single view of duties and powers makes conversations clearer, reduces duplication and supports those who are not legal specialists but still need to work with legislation within their role.
Interest has extended beyond legal and governance functions, with the portal supporting colleagues across a range of services and increasingly being seen as a useful resource for colleagues new to local government.
Early feedback suggests the portal is supporting day-to-day practice by helping teams understand how legislation and duties interact across service areas. Several councils have requested demonstration sessions for wider staff groups, reflecting growing interest in the resource and its potential application across different professional roles.
Informing decision-making and reform
The portal is supporting both day-to-day decision-making and wider reform discussions by setting out the legal basis for services. Greater clarity on statutory duties and discretionary powers helps officers and leaders understand the legislative context for decision-making and assess how proposals align with the existing framework, including where legislation may enable or constrain different approaches to service delivery.
A live resource shaped by the sector
Several councils have undertaken detailed reviews of portal content, helping to strengthen legislative interpretation, improve navigation and usability, and identify opportunities for further refinement. This feedback is informing ongoing development, ensuring the portal continues to evolve in response to sector needs while improving the quality and user experience.
Development is continuing beyond the initial focus on statutory duties and powers. Future enhancements will incorporate relevant data returns and explore opportunities to provide additional contextual information that helps users understand how services are delivered in practice. Ongoing engagement with councils, professional associations and subject matter experts will continue to inform the portal’s evolution.
Enabling collaboration and engagement
More broadly, the portal is supporting collaboration across the sector. It is being shared through professional networks, used in engagement sessions, and acting as a focal point for conversations about how services are delivered and how they might change.
Feedback also suggests that users are increasingly accessing the portal as a practical reference resource, using it to inform discussions within their own service areas. This becomes even more important as the work moves into its next phase - shifting from building a shared understanding to supporting improvement and reform.
Looking ahead
These early examples show that the portal is already beginning to deliver on its ambition. It is supporting a shared understanding of the legislative landscape, helping to inform decisions, strengthening professional practice, and creating a platform for collaboration and reform.
Future development will build on this foundation by incorporating additional contextual information and strengthening links between individual duties and existing reform activity, reinforcing the portal’s role as a central ‘spine’ of the SOLACE / Improvement Service Transformation Programme.
The positive response from across the sector has reinforced the value of the portal as a long-term asset. As engagement continues, its value will increasingly be shaped by how it is used to move from understanding what must be done to exploring what could be done differently.