Glasgow City Council Formally Rejects COSLA

Glasgow City Council has become the second authority to formally decide to join a new local government representative body.

The Scottish Local Government Partnership (SLGP) is also expected to comprise of South Lanarkshire Council and Renfrewshire Council, with Aberdeen City Council having agreed yesterday to become the first member.

The four local authorities are quitting Cosla, the body set up to represent all of Scotland's councils, to negotiate directly with the Scottish Government.

Speaking after the council's executive committee took the decision to join the SLGP, Glasgow council leader Gordon Matheson said: "The Partnership is an exciting new start for local government in Scotland. We represent a quarter of the population and are responsible for almost half the country's economic output.

"In the future it will simply not be possible to speak to local government without including us as an equal partner and we have already started meeting with Scotland's trade unions as we prepare for our role in national collective bargaining.

"I am looking forward to working with the Scottish and UK governments, the trade unions, other councils and civic Scotland. Working in partnership we will enhance the role of local government and help to grow Scotland's economy and the communities we all serve.''

South Lanarkshire will take its formal decision to join on March 11 and Renfrewshire on March 23.