Agenda item

·         Council agrees that the council delivery plan which forms part of our strategic planning approach has helped to lay the foundations to counter the centralising approach of the Scottish Government towards local government, which has resulted in Aberdeen being one of the lowest funded councils over the last decade;

·         Council is concerned that this ongoing situation is having a detrimental impact on its ability to provide important public services for our citizens both now and in the future;

·         In order to look at alternatives to ensure Aberdeen can reach its full potential, Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland asking him if the UK government would consider dealing directly with COSLA and Aberdeen City Council in considering allocating grant funding, to ensure that Aberdeen City Council receives its fair share of funding; and

·         Council notes the Scottish Government’s document “Scottish Shared Prosperity Fund” and the UK Government’s decision, announced in the Spending Review, to use its replacement for EU Structural Funds to work in partnership with local authorities and communities right across Scotland to ensure local accountability. Therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to COSLA confirming that Aberdeen City Council supports the UK Government’s localised approach which would allow Aberdeen City Council to spend our share of future UK Shared Prosperity Funding in line with the Council Delivery Plan which supports the Local Outcome Improvement Plan.

The Council had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Lumsden in the following terms:-

·       Council agrees that the council delivery plan which forms part of our strategic planning approach has helped to lay the foundations to counter the centralising approach of the Scottish Government towards local government, which has resulted in Aberdeen being one of the lowest funded councils over the last decade;

·       Council is concerned that this ongoing situation is having a detrimental

impact on its ability to provide important public services for our citizens

both now and in the future;

·       In order to look at alternatives to ensure Aberdeen can reach its full potential, Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland asking him if the UK government would consider dealing directly with COSLA and Aberdeen City Council in considering allocating grant funding, to ensure that Aberdeen City Council receives its fair share of funding; and

·       Council notes the Scottish Government’s document “Scottish Shared Prosperity Fund” and the UK Government’s decision, announced in the

Spending Review, to use its replacement for EU Structural Funds to work

in partnership with local authorities and communities right across Scotland to ensure local accountability. Therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to COSLA confirming that Aberdeen City Council supports the UK Government’s localised approach which would allow Aberdeen City Council to spend our share of future UK Shared Prosperity Funding in line with the Council Delivery Plan which supports the Local Outcome Improvement Plan.

Councillor Lumsden moved, seconded by Councillor Malik:-

          That the Council -

(1)       agrees Devolution is the settled will of the Scottish people;

(2)       agrees Devolution has been beneficial for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom;

(3)       regrets that local government continues to be at the forefront of SNP austerity; and

(4)       approves the notice of motion as outlined above.

Councillor Alex Nicoll moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Cooke:-

          That the Council -

(1)       notes that Aberdeen is one of the lowest funded Councils in Scotland, as a result of a long-standing funding formula, that pre-dates the election of the first SNP Government in 2007. Council further notes that changes to this funding formula would require the agreement of COSLA and the other 31 local authorities in Scotland, and regrets that the Co-Leaders of Aberdeen City Council have been wholly unsuccessful in persuading their counterparts in other local authorities even to consider revising the current formula;

(2)       notes that in March 2015, Councillor Laing led the former administration out of COSLA to form the Scottish Local Government Partnership citing the reason as dissatisfaction with the funding formula only to rejoin in August 2017 following the Scotland wide local authority elections, but with no meaningful change in the local authority funding formula;

(3)       notes that the election of key places within COSLA for the period 2017-2022 took place before Aberdeen City Council rejoined COSLA and that these roles continue until the next local authority elections;

(4)       notes that at the COSLA group leaders meeting of 15 May 2020, Councillor Lumsden moved a motion calling on the group leaders to reject the funding formula being proposed for the distribution of the £155M Barnett Formula Consequentials to local government arising from the Covid-19 pandemic on Council budgets and to consider instead distributing the monies on a pro rata basis in line with the predicted costs to Councils of the Covid-19 pandemic reported to COSLA on 24 April 2020 and that this failed to attract any meaningful support;

(5)       notes that in November 2020 the Scottish Government published “Scottish Replacement for EU Structural Funds” following a public consultation and in partnership with an expert group and that COSLA welcomed the report that it had contributed to; and

(6)       welcomes the main purpose of the proposed “Scottish Replacement for EU Structural Funds” Programme to address and reduce economic and social disparities within and between places and people in Scotland. Notes the programme will also:-

·       focus on promoting place-based economic development and cohesion helping communities across Scotland to improve key economic, social and wellbeing performance indicators;

·       support local responses to economic and social challenges empowering communities across the country to respond to issues which impede their development; and

·       support the Scottish Government’s policy aims set out in the Programme for Government and National Performance Framework and complement the actions published in the Scottish Government’s Economic Recovery Implementation Plan, in particular those aimed at developing resilient people, communities and places.

Councillor Yuill moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

          That the Council -

(1)       agrees Devolution is the settled will of the Scottish people;

(2)       agrees Devolution has been beneficial for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom;

(3)       regrets that local government continues to be at the forefront of SNP austerity;

(4)       deplores that Aberdeen City Council has been consistently underfunded by successive governments of all parties and that Aberdeen City Council has consistently been one of the lowest funded Councils in Scotland;

(5)       agrees that Council is concerned that this ongoing situation is having a detrimental impact on its ability to provide important public services for our citizens both now and in the future; and

(6)       confirms that this Council will continue to seek to secure funding from all current and future funding sources.

There being a motion and two amendments, the Council first divided between the amendment by Councillor Alex Nicoll and the amendment by Councillor Yuill.

On a division, there voted:-

For the amendment by Councillor Alex Nicoll  (19)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Jackie Dunbar, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Alex Nicoll, Audrey Nicoll, Noble, Radley and Townson.

For the amendment by Councillor Yuill  (3)  -  Councillors Delaney, Greig and Yuill.

Declined to vote  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Boulton, Cross, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Malik, Mason MSP, Reynolds, Sellar and Wheeler.

The Council then divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Alex Nicoll.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Boulton, Cross, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Malik, Mason MSP, Reynolds, Sellar and Wheeler.

For the amendment by Councillor Alex Nicoll  (19)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Jackie Dunbar, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Alex Nicoll, Audrey Nicoll, Noble, Radley and Townson.

Declined to vote  (3)  -  Councillors Delaney, Greig and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.