People across Scotland are being invited to give their views on how local government should be organised, as ministers consider possible changes to the way councils and community bodies make decisions.
A new online questionnaire asks about the current system, the features people consider important in any reform, and the concerns or opportunities they see. Responses can be submitted until Friday 11 December 2026.
The questionnaire is part of a three-month engagement programme on local governance. Ministers have also been speaking to Scotland’s 32 councils, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and trade unions. The government intends to consider public contributions alongside other evidence as ministers decide what to do next.
The exercise does not itself change council boundaries, create new authorities or settle which services would be run by them. It opens another route for people to contribute while the future shape of local government remains under discussion.
What has been proposed?
Earlier this year, ministers set out an initial model for debate that would replace the existing council arrangements with a smaller number of regional authorities and a larger number of community authorities. Separate arrangements were suggested for island communities.
The opening proposition envisaged six to ten regional authorities alongside 120 to 160 community authorities. Regional bodies could take responsibility for strategic decisions and major services, while community bodies would have a more local focus. These figures describe a proposal, not a decided map of Scotland’s future councils.
The ideas discussed for regional authorities include education, waste collection, economic development and major planning decisions. Local issues such as licensing and town-centre improvements could sit with community authorities. How responsibilities would be divided in practice remains an important question, rather than a settled list of changes.
One feature of the initial model is that councillors could serve on both a community authority and its associated regional authority. Regional administrative structures could support both levels. The aim is to combine decisions taken close to communities with capacity to plan services over a wider area.
That balance matters in a country with large cities, rural areas and island communities. A service that benefits from coordination across a wider region may still need to respond to local circumstances. Conversely, a body working at neighbourhood or community level would need sufficient powers and support to make its decisions meaningful.
Council leaders want a different starting point
COSLA, which represents Scotland’s councils, has called for a rethink of the government’s proposals and approach to engagement. Its position is that changing structures alone is not enough to improve public services.
Council leaders have put forward an alternative vision that starts with the existing 32 councils and places greater emphasis on shared capacity and cooperation across regions. Under that approach, councils could voluntarily consolidate where there is local democratic agreement, rather than assuming that new regional authorities are required everywhere.
COSLA has also argued that funding, powers and accountability need to be considered together. Its leaders want communities and the staff who deliver services to have a meaningful role in shaping reform, and have called for significant changes to be agreed with existing local authorities rather than imposed on them.
The government’s model and the council body’s position both raise questions about where decisions should be taken. They differ on the starting point: a new regional and community structure, or reform built around the existing councils with greater collaboration where useful.
What happens after the questionnaire?
The government intends to consider the views and evidence gathered during the wider engagement before determining the next phase. The questionnaire invites people to reflect not only on possible benefits but also on concerns about how any new arrangements might work.
Practical issues would need attention before any future changes could be put into effect. These include the workforce, council assets, continuity of service delivery and the steps needed to move from one arrangement to another. The way responsibilities are allocated would also affect who residents approach when they need a service or want to challenge a decision.
Scotland’s unitary council system has operated since 1996. Any major change would therefore involve more than renaming organisations: it would require decisions about how established services, staff and accountability fit into a different system.
For now, the public engagement is an opportunity to express views on those choices. Whether changes proceed, what form they take and how they would be implemented remain matters for the next stages of the debate.
