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LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE (LGFRC)

MINUTES OF SIXTH MEETING: 16 FEBRUARY 2005, MERIDIAN COURT, GLASGOW

Present:

Committee
Sir Peter Burt, Chair
Professor John Baillie, Member
Peter Daniels OBE, Member
Janet Lowe CBE, Member (part of meeting)


In Attendance:
Kenneth McKay CBE, Specialist Adviser to the Committee
David Milne, Secretary to the Committee
Sir Michael Lyons
Ben Day, Lyons Enquiry Secretariat

1. Minutes of Previous Meeting
1.1 The draft minutes of the meeting on 14 December were agreed, with minor modifications.

2. Matters Arising
2.1 The Committee's consultation paper was published on 20 January. Media coverage on the launch was modest. Nevertheless, around 1,000 copies of the consultation paper had been issued, in large part due to advertising in national and local press across Scotland.
2.2 Around 30 responses had been received to date. The Committee agreed to withhold judgment on how all responses should be analysed until the volume and nature of responses was clearer. The Secretary would provide Members with a cross-section of responses received to date.
2.3 A request to local authorities for details of their charges and fees policy was issued in early January, with responses requested by 21 February. A small number of responses had already been received.
2.4 The Committee website was launched on 28 December and received some press coverage.
2.5 The Committee's introductory meeting with Ministers, scheduled for 20 January, had been postponed. Efforts were now being made to re-schedule the meeting.

3. Discussion with Sir Michael Lyons
3.1 The Committee had a wide-ranging discussion with Sir Michael about the approaches being adopted for both reviews and some of the key issues that both would have to consider.
3.2 Sir Michael and the Committee hoped that this discussion would prove to be the start of ongoing dialogue between the two. As well as being able to learn from each other, Sir Michael noted that his terms of reference require him to have regard to the implications of his recommendations for Scotland. It was agreed that there would also be value in the Committee continuing to keep an eye on developments in Wales, not least to learn from experiences there about the operation of a revaluation exercise.
3.3 Sir Michael offered to let the Committee have sight of proposed specifications for research projects his inquiry is undertaking.

4. Future Work Programme
4.1 The Committee discussed how its forward work programme should develop and agreed that the following should be pursued:

• Regional oral evidence meetings: To include invited audiences. These should take place in or around Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dumfries, Inverness and Perth/Dundee/Aberdeen. There might be 2 meetings arranged for Glasgow and/or Edinburgh. If possible, a transcript of these meetings should be recorded.
  
  
• Research:
  • A study (quantitative and/or qualitative) of public perceptions about how local government is financed and views on key issues under consideration.
  • An analysis of any distinctive issues for Scotland arising from the literature review commissioned by the Lyons Inquiry.
  • Other topics as may emerge from the outcome of the current consultation.
• Introductory fact-finding meetings: Informal discussions with COSLA, Inland Revenue and Scottish Assessors Association.
  
  
• Committee meetings: Identify dates to allow for weekly Committee meetings, if required, from May to December.

• Secretary to arrange early discussions with Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise and Assessors.
• Secretary to arrange informal chat involving Chairman and Secretary, with Convener and Chief Executive of COSLA.
• Initially, Secretary to send out cross-section of responses, to give members a feel for the scale and nature of responses to date. In light of that, Secretary may send out responses to members once per week.
• Secretary to investigate option of regional meetings of invited audiences for oral evidence.
• Secretary to investigate option of undertake survey of public perceptions or other form of public engagement (e.g. focus groups), although maybe take note of what the survey being conducted for the Lyons Inquiry says.
• Committee to piggyback on the literature review being undertaken for the Lyons Inquiry, but also commission an assessment of how well that review reflects distinctive Scottish circumstances.

Local Government Finance Review Committee
Secretariat
March 2005