An agreement to forge a stronger partnership between local and national government was signed on 30 June 2023 by First Minister Humza Yousaf MSP and COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) President Shona Morrison.
The Verity House Agreement sets out principles for working together to empower local communities, tackle poverty, transform the economy, and provide high quality public services.
It includes commitments to:
- Agree a new Fiscal Framework governing how local authorities’ funding is allocated, reducing ring-fencing and giving them greater control over their budgets to meet local needs;
- Regularly review councils’ powers and funding, with the expectation that services will be delivered at a local level unless agreed otherwise;
- Incorporate the European Charter of Local Self-Government into Scots Law;
- Reform public services, building on the partnership working established during the pandemic recovery;
- Develop a framework for collecting and sharing evidence to ensure progress is maintained.
