Scottish Labour Pledge On More Power for Local Communities

18th April 2014

Today Sarah Boyack MSP Scottish Labour's Shadow Cabinet Member for Local Government met with Highlands Councillors Deirdre Mackay and Jimmy Gray to discuss how Labour would reverse the centralisation seen under the SNP.

Sarah Boyack MSP said "Scottish Labour is committed to more powers for local authorities as part of our ambitions for stronger devolution in Scotland. In our Devolution Commission we proposed, not just more powers and financial accountability for the Scottish Parliament, but stronger local decision making too - with local councils and communities empowered to make the most of local resources and to invest in our communities.

"That's why we believe that we need to go further on land reform to allow communities to take greater control of the natural resources around them. We need to devolve the powers from the Crown Estates Commission directly to local authorities and communities and not centralised in Edinburgh. We are presently failing to capitalise on the real potential of our people, particularly the young. To help to achieve this potential we will transfer resources to enable local authorities to give a higher priority and greater focus on the training and employment programmes needed in the Highlands."

Jimmy Gray said " Scottish Labour is the party that delivered ‘the will of the Scottish people’ with a devolved parliament in Edinburgh. We did not devolve power from London to Edinburgh just to see powers pulled away from local authorities and communities across Scotland to Edinburgh. Our greatest resource is our people to fully realise and deliver that potential we need greater devolution not greater division"