ABSTRACT
Devolution and subsidiarity have been a central focus within the Scottish political narrative over the last few years. This has been substantially driven by the independence referendum in 2014 and the subsequent Smith Commission report on further devolved powers for the Scottish Parliament. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Scotland had 206 elected local authorities, county councils, city corporations, new town development corporations, town councils and burghs. Most of the period of the region/district system was under Conservative governments that did not command majority support in Scotland. Rising demand and increasing financial constraint are combining to create severe challenges for Scottish public services. A review looking at future arrangements for governance and public services in Scotland is quite compatible with continued interest in further devolution and/or independence. All public service bodies are delivery systems in an obvious sense: they deliver services.
