This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Councils back public sector reform
06/04/2006
A commitment to get behind the public sector reform agenda was made at CoSLA's annual conference today.
The move was welcomed by Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform Tom McCabe, who said it was an essential step towards transforming public services.
The Minister joined the conference via a live video link from Washington DC.
Mr McCabe said:
"There is a real thirst for change in local government and I am delighted that this has again been endorsed at CoSLA's annual conference. Local authorities have an opportunity here to provide meaningful leadership and work together with the wider public sector to transform the way public services are delivered in Scotland
"The Executive fully recognises that there are a number of complex issues and pressures facing local authorities and the wider public sector. This is why I have repeatedly said that we will be taking a bottom-up approach to public service reform within the context of the five principles of reform that I have set out.
"We will shortly be launching a dialogue process which will stimulate debate on the future direction of public service reform.
"There are no pre-conceived ideas or a blueprint for top-down restructuring. Only a commitment to remove any barriers in the way of achieving long-term improvement in the public sector.
"I welcome the fact that some authorities are already bringing forward ideas for service transformation and am pleased that COSLA will strive to foster this innovation at a national level."