Power back to the people?

A NEW report from the Scottish Affairs committee in the  House of Commons calls for the powers of the Crown Estate Commissioners in Scotland to be both devolved to Scotland and then decentralised to local communities.

Alison Johnstone MSP, who is a member of the Scottish Parliament's Scotland Bill committee, comments: "This report adds serious weight to the case for local democracy and for ending the detached way in which the Crown Estate is run in Scotland. The UK Government must now recognise the case for change. The committee's insistence on a double-devolution of powers, with control ending up in the hands of local communities, is a principle that I hope will get far more prominence in the debate on Scotland's future."

Full details of the report can be found here. It has significance for the allocation of resources, for community access and ultimately for the distribution of wealth and power - which lies at the core of addressing rural and urban poverty.

Economics as if poverty mattered?

FORMER Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has given evidence to the Church of Scotland’s economics commission.

Mr Darling was one of a number of experts to give evidence to the Special Commission on the Purpose of Economic Activity - alongside those who have direct experience of poverty, in accordance with the recommendations of the Poverty Truth Commission.

After giving evidence to the commission Mr Darling took part in a question and answer session with journalists.

The Church of Scotland set up the commission following the credit crunch in 2008. The 13-strong commission chaired by Professor Charles Munn will report to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 2012. Commission members come from a range of backgrounds and bring specific skills and interests to the group.

Welfare and public sector challenges

PLANNED welfare changes will deliver a £480 million blow to the Scottish economy, according to research earlier this year publicised by the Poverty Alliance in Scotland - a partner in the Poverty Truth Commission.

The Scottish Local believe however that the impact will be a lot higher through knock-on costs and a huge increase in demand for council services.  Speaking on behalf of the Scottish Campaign, Matt Lancashire of Citizens Advice Scotland said: “We agree the changes in welfare will have a wider impact on the Scottish economy. But the main concern must be the immediate impact that the welfare changes are having on the people who rely on the welfare state simply to live their lives."

Meanwhile, public sector bodies in Scotland may struggle to make the required savings to their budgets this year, risking the future delivery of effective services, auditors are warning. An Audit Scotland report, Scotland’s public finances – addressing the challenges, finds that Scotland’s public sector budget in 2011/12 will be £27.5 billion. This is a drop of 6% or £1.7 billion in real terms on the previous year’s budget.