Thank you, convener. I am a councillor from Orkney Islands Council and am COSLA’s environment and economy spokesperson. I am also the lead COSLA representative on the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, for which I am the territorial development spokesperson. Furthermore, I have previous and present experience in various other international roles on behalf of local government, including being a member of the political bureau of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe.
COSLA is the national and international voice of the 32 Scottish councils, so I am very glad to have the opportunity to give evidence the committee’s inquiry. We have made submissions to the related committees on EU matters.
Our key politically agreed position with regard to the bill is that any new EU-derived powers and legislation that the Scottish Government wishes to replicate in Scotland should be the result of proper consultation of Scottish local government wherever such issues cut across existing local government competence.
The same applies to any discussion on apportionment of returned EU powers by the creation of new UK and Scottish enforcement bodies, such as environmental standards Scotland, which is foreseen in the bill, and any new UK state aid regulator.
Furthermore, when we are looking at future EU legislation, a review of the future of Scottish and UK commitments and reporting to the EU and, indeed, other international bodies, should have ownership by Scottish local government.
It is positive that both the Scottish and UK Governments have formally confirmed to COSLA that they wish to replicate the consultation arrangements for EU legislation that existed during EU membership. Members might recall from the first evidence session on the bill that there is an opportunity to do just that by expanding the section 9(2)(g) provision on consultation of local government, not just for environmental matters but for other policy areas that intersect with local government powers.
Finally, the aspiration for us in local government is to keep pace and to resonate with the democratic principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, for which we hope the bill will achieve unanimous cross-party support.