Scottish local authorities are leading the way in collaborative working, with a new report showing over 340 collaborative projects are now operational or in development across Scotland.
Initiatives range from joint service delivery and shared procurement to staff development and strategic partnerships, delivering a host of benefits for Scotland’s communities.
The report is based on results from a survey of all Scottish local authorities and follows on from a previous report published in 2019. The results suggest an increase in the number of activities ongoing, with an increase of more than 100 initiatives since the original report.
The report summarises the key features of these activities, for example, how collaboration is most common among neighbouring areas and within regional groupings, with adult social care, children’s services, and roads among the main areas benefiting from shared approaches.
While the benefits include cost savings, improved outcomes, and greater efficiency, the report notes that challenges persist. Funding pressures, capacity constraints, and the complexity of aligning local needs and systems can make collaboration difficult, and strong leadership and clear roles are essential for success.
The report also identifies the potential for expansion and scaling across the activities, with a new project of workstream 2 of the IS-SOLACE Transformation Programme established to progress this work.
Download the report: Collaborative Working in Scottish Local Authorities