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There is not enough evidence to say that unelected officials, as a class, have too much power in Scotland’s councils. Councillors make political choices and scrutinise services; officers manage services and deliver council policy; and some officers have independent statutory duties to support lawful, financially sound administration. Whether the balance is appropriate depends on the powers delegated by each council, how decisions are reported and scrutinised, and whether elected members can challenge them.
Who makes decisions in a Scottish council?
Scottish councils are made up of councillors directly elected by local residents. The Scottish Government lists 1,226 elected councillors on its current policy page, accessed in 2026; that is the page’s reported figure, not a separately verified live count. Councillors make executive decisions, scrutinise policies and services, carry out regulatory functions such as planning and licensing, and represent their wards. See the Scottish Government’s overview of councillors’ roles, conduct and pay.
Officers are not simply advisers. They manage services and deliver council policy, and may make decisions under powers assigned by legislation or the council’s own arrangements. Some officers also have defined statutory responsibilities that can require them to give independent advice or raise concerns. Audit Scotland’s reports describe those responsibilities and the need for clear arrangements around them.
What powers and duties do officers have?
Audit Scotland’s 2019 report identifies four statutory officer roles: head of paid service, chief financial officer, monitoring officer and chief social work officer. Their responsibilities include staffing and coordination, the council’s financial affairs, legal and constitutional compliance, and professional social-work advice. The report also describes officers’ wider work in governance, risk management, key controls and service delivery. Read Audit Scotland’s report on safeguarding public money.
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An earlier Audit Scotland report, published in 2016, also describes a chief education officer role under the Education (Scotland) Act 2016. Because the 2019 report lists four statutory roles without that post, the two reports should not be treated as a single, exhaustive statement of the current statutory list. The legal position and local arrangements need to be checked for the council and role in question. The 2016 report says statutory officers have an “important, independent role in promoting and enforcing good governance and for making sure councils comply with legislation.” See How councils work: Are you still getting it right?.
The practical boundary between members and officers is therefore not simply “councillors decide, officers advise.” A council’s scheme of delegation sets out what officers may decide and what is reserved for councillors, committees or the full council. Audit Scotland says such schemes should explain officers’ functions and why they matter. A scheme can give officers meaningful decision-making authority while leaving councillors responsible for policy, oversight and decisions the council has reserved to them.
What safeguards and accountability apply?
The Scottish Government describes councils as independent of central government and accountable to their electorates, not Scottish Ministers, for service provision. It also points to internal and external audit and scrutiny. This does not mean council decisions are exempt from oversight; it describes the relationship between councils, central government and local electors. See Accountability and standards of councils.
Audit Scotland says statutory officers need enough access and influence to perform their roles. It identifies clear schemes of delegation and councillor induction as important, and says the chief executive is responsible for ensuring statutory officers have sufficient access and influence. The same report warns that a monitoring officer’s role can be undermined by poor trust and respect between councillors and officers. Independence in carrying out a duty and accountability through clear reporting arrangements are both relevant to judging whether a system works.
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Elected members are also subject to formal standards. The councillors’ code effective from 7 December 2021 was issued by Scottish Ministers with approval from the Scottish Parliament. It applies to councillors and certain co-opted committee members. The Scottish councillors’ code of conduct sits within the framework established by the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, which provides for councillor codes and the handling of alleged breaches.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to assess whether officers have too much authority
There is no national comparative evidence in the cited reports measuring how much authority officers exercise across all 32 councils, or what share of decisions they make. A broad claim that officials have too much power—or that every council’s arrangements are working well—cannot be established from these sources. To assess a particular council, start with its current documents and trace how a decision can be made and reviewed.
- Read the scheme of delegation. Identify the decisions assigned to officers, the decisions reserved to councillors or committees, and any financial or legal limits and exceptions.
- Check related rules and records. Read standing orders and committee remits, then look for officer decision records and the council’s annual governance statement. Establish what is published and when.
- Trace scrutiny and challenge routes. Find out whether councillors can call in, review or appeal an officer decision, and which committee oversees the relevant service. Confirm any limits on those routes rather than assuming a decision can always be reversed.
- Test how the rules work in practice. Compare the written process with accounts from councillors in the administration and opposition, relevant statutory officers, audit committee members and residents affected by the decisions.
- Check the legal basis and reporting line. Ask whether an officer acted under legislation or delegated authority, what triggered the decision, and how the officer reported it to elected members.
For comparisons between councils, use the same measures for each: the scope of delegated decisions; financial and legal thresholds; transparency and publication; member call-in, review or appeal routes; scrutiny committee oversight; and evidence that statutory officers can act independently while reporting through clear arrangements.
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