"Radical" devolution to councils needed, says Reform Scotland

Local decision-makers should be "empowered" following greater devolution to the Scottish parliament, according to a think tank.

Powers such as council tax and business rates are among those urged to be handed over from Holyrood.

Reform Scotland, an independent, non-party body, has also called for the next parliament to launch a pilot scheme on devolving health as well as giving councils control over certain education responsibilities.

The group's 2016 manifesto follows eight years of research and policy development, and lays out 16 policies.

Alongside advocating greater local devolution were appeals to give people greater choice over their GP surgery, to grant greater autonomy to schools, and the introduction of a virtual nursery voucher for parents to ensure they can access their child’s nursery entitlement in any pre-school environment that meets required standards.

Alan McFarlane, Reform Scotland’s Chairman, said: “Scotland needs its next parliament, the fifth since devolution, to be a Parliament for policies that will address our major challenges - improving economic performance whilst increasing the impact and effectiveness of our public services.

"The new Scottish Government must take the opportunity to deliver a radical agenda to devolve power within Scotland in order to achieve these goals.

"One nettle to be grasped is for Scotland’s local councils to be given full responsibility for council tax and business rates, thereby establishing a clear link between local expenditure on services and the taxation to fund it.”