Council / Councillor’s ‘frustration’ at time required to prepare reports for government
A COUNCILLOR has expressed frustration at the amount of time staff are having to spend on preparing reports for the Scottish Government.
John Fraser spoke up on the issue at a meeting of Shetland’s integration joint board (IJB) on Thursday when a report on ‘climate change duties’ was presented to members.
The papers said that as a designated public body, the IJB must submit an annual report on its compliance in tackling climate change – as required by Scottish law.
Fraser, who is the vice-chair of the IJB, which oversees health and social care, said he is “ever more frustrated” over the amount of time officers have to spend on submitting reports to government.
He also was concerned about potential duplication of effort at play in a wider Shetland context.
Fraser asked if it was time to write to the Scottish Government about streamlining the process.
But IJB chair Natasha Cornick said she was not keen to write a letter as she would not want to use up any more resource “trying to change what we’re not going to be able to change”.
Fraser replied saying he was disappointed that the IJB would “just sit back and accept” it.
The councillor said it would be an opportunity to bring to the attention of those in the “higher echelons of Edinburgh” that annual report writing like this is “detracting” from officers doing their job.
Fraser added that he might write to the government on a personal level on the matter.
Meanwhile NHS Shetland medical director Kirsty Brightwell issued a “word of warning” that raising the issue could “prompt discussion” about the concept of a single island authority.
The idea of a single authority model, something which has been promoted by the Scottish Government, would potentially see a number of public services – such as council, health and housing – move under one organisation.
It has gained interest from some other councils such as the Western isles, but there does not appear to be much backing for the concept in Shetland.
During discussions at Thursday’s meeting SIC corporate services director Christine Ferguson said she understood there are discussions involving local authority group COSLA ongoing about the burden being placed on councils “where it’s felt that some things don’t have the value that would merit the extend to which it causes an opportunity cost”.
She also mentioned the issue of freedom of information requests, which the SIC receives from a wide range of sources including government departments.
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