Verity House Agreement - Assurance and Accountability

6. Connections

Within these assurance and accountability arrangements, it is necessary to acknowledge that the Scottish Government and Local Government operate within and across a much wider system of public service design and delivery. It is important to consider the role of statutory community planning partners – councils and named public bodies who in their roles are accountable to Ministers – and the strategic plans and activity of Community Planning Partnerships across Scotland in improving outcomes for people and communities.^[10] It will be important to also consider the role of the third sector, private sector and UK Government within the wider system.

Delivering collective progress towards shared priority outcomes will also require further consideration of the connections across other spheres of policy and activity, including: health and social care, education and skills, employability, climate change and children, young people and families. More broadly, it is also important for Local Government and the Scottish Government to consider how they can support progress towards shared outcomes, including as employers, and lead by example across the wider public sector by championing reform and sharing examples of existing good practice.

Public Service Reform is a shared priority of the Scottish Government and Local Government, and the Verity House Agreement includes a commitment to a joint approach. It has long been acknowledged by both spheres that reform is required to change and improve the way Scotland’s public services are designed and delivered in order to improve outcomes, actively advance the realisation of human rights, equality and inclusion, tackle inequality and discrimination, foster good relations in our communities and ensure public services are fiscally sustainable. Improving assurance and accountability arrangements, as well as prioritising place-based outcome focused budgeting are critical enablers of reform.

There is existing work across the Scottish Government and Local Government on reform, including:

• the Scottish Government’s refreshed PublicPublic Service Reform Strategy, launched in June 2025, which sets out the need for improved efficiency and effectiveness in service design and delivery and includes a clear articulation of the characteristics of a reformed system;
• joint work in relation to the Local Governance Review, including Single Authority Models, Democracy Matters, a Fiscal Framework and a refreshed approach to community planning; and
• the Local Government Transformation Programme, led by Solace and supported by the Improvement Service, which is connected to wider public service reform ambitions, and is actively supporting reform at local, regional and national levels to improve not only the delivery of council services, but also to ensure their sustainability.