A Greater Renfrewshire?

At yesterday's COSLA Convention meeting one of the reports discussed was on reform of the public sector.

During the debate the SNP Group Leader, Derek Mackay, who is also the Leader of Renfrewshire Council, called on COSLA to start debating the number of Councils we have in Scotland.

Somewhat 'tongue in cheek', I told Derek that if he had designs on a 'Greater Renfrewshire' authority to give me a call.

Personally however, I think that public sector reform has much more to it than simply reducing the number of Councils.

When I sit around the Inverclyde Alliance Board table I do so with a large number of public sector partners - the Health Board, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, James Watt College, The Scottish Government, Job Centre Plus -as well as partners from business, trade unions and the voluntary sector. The Alliance structure also has involvement from a number of quasi-public agencies, such as Riverside Inverclyde, Inverclyde Leisure and local and national housing associations.

For me the focus of public sector reform should be on how agencies that operate within existing council boundaries can work together better, and, frankly, if we need so many agencies.

That is not to say that I would shy away from a debate about council boundaries.

For me the overriding imperative is that we meet the needs of the people of Inverclyde. If a convincing case was presented that these needs could be better met within the context of a greater Renfrewshire authority then that is something I would seriously look at.

Mind you, I am not convinced that I will receive a call from Derek. I suspect that for political and other reasons East Renfrewshire is more likely to be the subject of his advances.