The funding awarded through Scottish Government’s Invest to Save Fund will allow the Comhairle to take forward its work on the Single Authority Model, to develop working models as to how a SAM would work and to engage on the detail of these models with our Community Planning partners and the wider public.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has launched a page on its website to provide further detail on Public Service Reform and the Comhairle’s ongoing work in this area. There is also a frequently asked questions page, and a detailed policy document and research paper entitled “A Single Authority Model for the Western Isles”.

Cllr Paul Steele said: 

“The award of this funding is hugely welcome. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has been consistent in its support for Public Service Reform for several years, the receipt of this investment will now allow for this key work to progress. The Comhairle views PSR as a route to improve efficiency, the quality of public services, financial security, and democratic accountability, and as essential to the financial sustainability of the public sector of the Western Isles, in times of financial reductions and uncertainty.

“The Comhairle’s development of suggested Single Authority Models and continued advocacy of the benefits of PSR have been a key contributor to progress in this area. It has been pleasing to see the models presented by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar move forward to the debate at a national level and I welcome continued dialogue with Scottish Government, NHS Western Isles and other Community Planning partners on this matter. In October 2024, the Minister for Public Finance and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care wrote in a letter to the Comhairle that the Western Isles were at the ‘vanguard of local governance reform’, and now going into the future the Comhairle will maintain this position.”

In addition to the award of this funding Scottish Government has consistently outlined a commitment to deliver Public Service Reform through the progression of Single Authority Models.

In the 2025-26 programme for Government Scottish Government said:

 “Preferred models for Single Authority Models in Argyll and Bute, Orkney and Western Isles that have been developed jointly by local government and health and enable a shift towards prevention. This will include a plan and timeline for implementation, with at least one area transitioning to shadow arrangements.

In the 2025-26 budget Scottish Government said: 

“To enable PSR work, we will deliver an Invest to Save fund in 2025‑26, backed by up to £30 million of funding recognising the need to catalyse efficiency, effectiveness and productivity projects as part of the PSR programme.”

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar will provide further updates to the public on this work as it progresses.