The Scottish Government has recently announced a radical Spending Review, which sets out the Government's spending plans for the next three years, and is detailed in the Budget and the Concordat between the Scottish Government and CoSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).
The new relationship that the Scottish Government has with local government, set out in the concordat, changes quite fundamentally the ways in which the objectives of government are set and delivered. Both the Budget and the Concordat can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/11/14081839.
The Scottish Government has been working within the constraints of an extremely tight spending round and is now working to the principle that money for local delivery should be channelled through local authorities. More funding will be directed to local authorities to deliver local outcomes, which will involve working with other partners, e.g. the voluntary sector.
Scottish Ministers expect voluntary youth organisations to concentrate on building links with local authorities and providing evidence of delivering outcomes for young people. This will leave them in the best possible place to take advantage of new arrangements. Scottish Ministers also encourage voluntary youth organisations to co-ordinate effort and share experience with other organisations working with similar young people. Working more with other voluntary organisations will also help make links with individual local authorities.