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Local government services
This information applies to Scotland only
Structure of local government
Local government in Scotland is made up of 32 separate local authorities or ‘councils’ which are responsible for providing a full range of services for your local community.
Each local authority has considerable discretion about the departmental structure it can adopt to provide services. This means that a department called for example, "Community Services" may provide the education, social work, housing and community education services. You can access your local authority website from www.cosla.gov.uk.
To find out what the department is for the local government service you are interested in, check the list of services under the heading ‘Local Authority Services’and then contact the headquarters of the local authority for your area and ask for the department which provides that service.
Local authority services
| Service | Covering |
|---|---|
| Building control | Standard of construction; safety in buildings used by the public |
| Community charge/council tax | Levying and collecting council tax; rebates on council tax and arrears of community charge |
| Courts | District courts |
| Education | Schools: primary and secondary; school meals; school transport; school attendance; careers advice; community education |
| Elections | Maintaining electoral register; conducting elections |
| Environmental services | Controlling: noise, smoke, pests, animal disease; refuse collection; food standards; slaughterhouses; burial grounds and crematoria; public convenience; allotments; consumer protection |
| Fire and police | Fire brigade - provision, training and equipping; Police - provision, equipping and appointment of Senior officers |
| Housing | Council housing - building, provision, maintenance, sales, management; housing benefit; substandard housing; grants and loans for house purchase; services for homeless people |
| Industrial promotion | Measures to establish, promote and develop industry |
| Leisure services | Libraries; museums and art galleries; sports facilities; cultural and social facilities; public parks; community centres; tourism |
| Licensing | Issuing licences for:- sale of alcohol; gaming; cinemas; theatres; taxis; dogs; massage parlours; street traders |
| Planning | Local plans; planning permission; conservation areas; listed buildings; urban redevelopment; large scale strategic plans; civil defence; providing caravan sites; enforcing development control; structure plans |
| Rating and valuation | Appointing assessor to value property; levying rates |
| Social work | Provision of social services for:- children; people with learning difficulties; people with long term illness; people with disabilities; people with problems because of age; offenders |
| Transportation | Construction and maintenance of:- roads (not motorways); footpaths; bridges; street lighting; providing or subsidising public transport |
