The Board approved the scope of the Additional Support Needs (ASN) - Support for Education project. This initiative will explore opportunities for joint working across school transport, specialist legal support, and staff training. The project aims to identify how councils can share expertise, improve services, and reduce costs, without making immediate decisions on future service delivery.
The latest Joint Staff Forum, held on 6 October, brought together trade union representatives and senior officers from Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, and Stirling Councils. Discussions included the Scottish Government's plans for local government reform, a presentation on Internal Audit and Fraud workstream, legal advice, and future governance arrangements. The Chief Executives of the three councils reaffirmed their commitment to the collaboration programme. Local government reform will now be a regular agenda item to ensure staff and trade unions remain informed, and business cases prepared for December will be shared with the forum.
Regarding the Scottish Government's local government reform plans, the TTC programme continues. The financial and service pressures facing councils remain unchanged. The programme operates under a workplan agreed by all three councils, focusing on practical improvements, expertise sharing, strengthening resilience, and cost reduction, supported by Scottish Government funding. Continuing this work allows for immediate progress and better preparation for future changes, aligning with national reform principles and positioning the councils to influence discussions. Any proposals will be supported by detailed business cases and considered by elected members.
A workshop on 20 October reviewed and finalised the first business cases. Four business cases are set to be presented at the December Council meetings in Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, and Stirling, covering Revenues and Benefits, Internal Audit and Fraud, Resilience and Emergency Planning, and Governance arrangements for collaboration. Each case will detail options, potential benefits, costs, and risks for elected members' consideration.
“"We are making steady progress with the collaboration programme as we prepare the first business cases for consideration by elected members. While national plans for local government reform are developing, the challenges facing councils remain. Working together gives us opportunities to improve services, share resources and reduce costs. It is important that we get the business cases right, involve staff and trade unions and ensure any proposals are supported by clear evidence before decisions are made."
The next board meeting is scheduled for 16 November, followed by the Joint Staff Forum on 17 November, where the December business cases will be presented to trade union representatives. Further updates will be provided as the programme progresses.
