Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell wants local government to play an ‘an active role’ in Brexit negotiations

David Mundell - Image credit: Parliament TV

The Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, has said he wants local government to play an “an active role” in Brexit negotiations.

In a letter to Scottish Local Government Partnership (SLGP) convener, Jenny Laing, he wrote: “I am keen to ensure that local government plays an active role in contributing to EU exit negotiations, and would be very interested to hear the emerging views of the Scottish Local Government Partnership in advance of any discussions.”

Mundell will meet with the SLGP, which represents Glasgow, Aberdeen, South Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire councils, to hear the views of local government leaders.

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Laing, who is also the leader of Aberdeen City Council, said the response showed that the UK Government valued the contribution of council leaders, as opposed to Scottish Government ministers, who had ignored requests to discuss the issue.

Laing said: “The Scottish Government has been utterly predictable in its approach to Brexit and how it has dealt with our attempts to have our voice heard. 

"Ministers at Holyrood view us as an inconvenience and have made it clear that they have no intention of including us in any talks or providing us with the vital flow of information that we need.

“The UK Government, on the other hand, recognises that we have a critical contribution to make and we are more than happy to work with them in the absence of the Scottish Government.”

She added: “It’s crucial that any new constitutional arrangement once we leave the EU is done so with the involvement of local authorities.”